


Just a Rebound

by Michichi69



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Angst, Awesome Prussia (Hetalia), Awkward Blow Jobs, Awkward First Times, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, BDSM, Blow Jobs, Blow Jobs With Teeth, Bottom South Italy, Break Up, Brothers Germany & Prussia (Hetalia), Brothers North Italy & South Italy (Hetalia), Dorks in Love, Drama, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Feels, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Idiots in Love, Kinks, Kinky, Light BDSM, Loss of Virginity, M/M, One-Sided South Italy/Spain (Hetalia), Oral Sex, Ouch, Post-Break Up, Power Bottom, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Smut, South Italy Being a Jerk (Hetalia), Top Prussia (Hetalia), Top Spain (Hetalia), Unrequited Love, Virginity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:09:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25224415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michichi69/pseuds/Michichi69
Summary: After another messy break-up with Spain, Prussia strikes a deal with Romano. Taking pity, Romano agrees. Turns out, rebounds can be awesome too.Nationverse: Prumano as friends with benefits/rebounding but falling pretty hard for each other. Prumano (and some Spamano) fluff with smut sprinkled with a bit of drama and angst.
Relationships: Germany/North Italy (Hetalia), Prussia/South Italy (Hetalia), South Italy/Spain (Hetalia)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 101





	1. The Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Prumano is so underrated, so here is this little nugget. I'm not taking this fic too seriously, just some good fun. Enjoy :)

To say that Romano was disappointed was an understatement.

He’d been stuck in a state of sadness, an odd little feeling he preferred to cover up with anger, anger was easier for him to understand. His Northern counterpart he called his little shit of a brother tried to make the process a little better for him by visiting him frequently, feeding him, and then having to get on with official matters. As all nations had to. Except for Romano, no, he was incredibly nauseous at the thought of even working anymore. He had another couple of centuries before he could ever think about repairing anything with Spain.

In the end, every nation had some history with each other. They were nations first but people second and people could be real sick bastards. They could feel any spectrum of emotions a human could and form relationships with the people they liked. Sometimes they even _loved_ each other. Or sometimes, as Romano knew a whole lot about now, they couldn’t get it right and it would be years before they could look at each other the same way they did before. That history would loop back around and then it would happen again, and again, and again, as long as they were a nation.

His brother didn’t quite understand, sure, he had a heartbreak once in his youth but that was _once_. Compared to how many times Romano had really screwed things up with Spain it was just agony. It made him sick how his little brother was more successful than he was in the pursuit of romance, a long-term romance that is. He’d been with Germany since the war, sure it had gotten shaky here and there but they always had each other. Meanwhile, Romano and Spain would argue and never really got over it. Then they would break up, then Romano would regret it and call the bastard to come over which almost always led to the dreaded makeup sex. That wasn’t any relationship, that was just convenience. The reason he was lamenting over it so much was the fact he actually cared about the bastard, he just didn’t know how to show it right. How do you go from a lackey to a coworker to a lover? It just wasn’t natural. It wasn’t new, they knew each other _too_ much and maybe they loved each other in excess as well.

So why was he so goddamn disappointed if he knew that was just the natural cycle?

Probably because life goes on and his little brother had forced him to leave his house for once. The only problem was that it was at Germany’s house and he hated that fucker. He’d never understand why his little brother took such a shining to him, he was just a stuck up, anal, annoying, ugly, alcoholic, potato-eating-

“What’s with the sour look, I’ve always wondered.” _Prussia_ , he was just as bad as his stupid German brother. His arrogance perspired off his pale weaselly body, the sight of him made Romano sick the way he was smirking at him. They were outside under the German sun, much worse than the Italian sun, he could tell the difference. Veneziano had insisted he play football with him but he had to settle with Germany.

“ _Tch_ , why are you still alive, I’ve always wondered.” Was his bitter reply. He knew it hit Prussia in the gut. Of course, it was going to cause a reaction.

“ _Hey_ , I do just as much work as West does! I have every reason to still be around-“

“Shut the fuck up,” Romano interrupted, “The reason my face looks like it does is because I was _born_ with it. Thanks for being a fuckwit, _again_.” He wasn’t in any mood to talk. He was too saddened by the thought of Spain, “You talk too much for a corpse.”

“Just trying to get to the bottom of your attitude this time, I haven’t seen you in weeks. You’re usually at the meetings.” Romano rolled his eyes.

“As if _you_ go to the meetings, you’re too busy being a lazy ass,” He shot Prussia an incredulous look, “Why you even talking to me anyway. Go fuck off with your brother and Vene, it’d be three jackasses in a pack.”

“I don’t know,” Prussia said it in a tone that indicated he _did_ know, “Maybe I just want to sit around with Italy’s older brother. Pretty cool, I can brag about it to all my friends.” Romano scoffed. Like Prussia had friends, he practically had to beg people to be around him with how annoying he was. The only people who would tolerate him without question were France and Spain. Talk about three jackasses.

“What? You want an autograph?” Romano spat, “I have a name you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll stop calling you Italy’s older brother if you stop calling me a potato-bastard.” Prussia struck the deal like he was a salesman. His sad attempt at charisma wasn’t working on him though.

“Whatever, you know that won’t happen in my lifetime.”

“I don’t know, sounds like a _long_ lifetime.”

“Shut up, _clearly_ you have nothing else better to do. Just leave me alone.” Of course, as Prussia always did, he persisted. Romano had to close his eyes to keep himself from getting pissed off just from the sight of him.

“Oh, so you’re _actually_ mad.” Keeping his eyes closed wasn’t enough anymore. He was just about ready to explode.

“Of fuckin’ course I’m _actually mad_.” He impersonated Prussia rather poorly but he didn’t care. He crossed his arms and laid back on the patio chair. He wasn’t going to let this idiot get to him. For once, Prussia shut his mouth. He seemed to relax and didn’t make a quip or anything of the sorts that could irritate Romano even more. For a moment, they were just watching their brothers have a rather intense game of football. Veneziano could be rather competitive when it came to the sport and Germany was _always_ competitive.

“You know, you can always get back with him,” Prussia suggested, unprompted. Romano couldn’t help but be shocked by the comment. He thought this time they had been pretty good at keeping it on the down-low, the only people who seemed to know about it was Veneziano because of the state he was in when he saw him, “Spain would probably take you back anyway.”

“ _What_? How do you know about that?” Prussia shrugged.

“I don’t think there’s anybody who _doesn’t_ know,” He said nonchalant, “You can always tell. You get a sad look in your eyes and Spain doesn’t exactly try to hide it.”

“Vene told you, didn’t he?” Prussia shook his head.

“As I said, you can just tell. Or _maybe_ I’m just that awesome, I can read minds now. I’ve transcended this realm, my third eye has opened-“ His hands were stuck in a triangle shape he’d formed with his touching digits on his forehead when Romano interrupted him.

“Okay, shut up with the dramatics,” Romano couldn’t help but cock a smile at his antics. _Sometimes_ Prussia could be tolerable, “Does everybody really know about it?” Prussia put his hands down before he laid back again.

“ _Well_ , maybe. Maybe not. I don’t think everybody can tell the difference between when you two are together or when you’ve split. You two kind of act the same anyway around each other.” Romano furrowed his eyebrows.

“What? No, we don’t.” His face went red, he’d always been more affectionate around Spain when they tried to go at it again. They’d sleep in the same bed, they had _sex_ , it was the type of thing that only a couple could do, not an ex-couple. It seemed like Prussia disagreed.

“Think about it, man. You might be even denser than your brother,” _Of course_ , he had to throw in an insult along the way but Romano was listening, albeit peeved by the unnecessary comment, “You two just end up getting into some argument and _sure_ , that’s normal, right?”

Romano nodded along, “But the _problem_ is that you just sort of… Let it simmer. There’s no difference between when you are together and when you’ve had some messy breakup. You just get sadder about it because you have this idea in your head that somehow, it’s worse when it’s official compared to when it isn’t. Hurts all the same, man. Everybody has just gotten used to seeing it, so I don’t think most would be able to tell you even broke it off.”

“So, what? You think it’s just all in my mind because it was _official_?” Romano said it like it was ridiculous. He never took Prussia for the type to do drugs but he sure sounded like it the way he was conjuring up this little conspiracy theory. However, Prussia nodded, completely serious, “ _Really_?” He actually found himself questioning everything. The bastard had gotten into his head pretty good this time.

“I’m telling you; nobody will even bat an eyelash. You’re pretty predictable.”

“ _Mio Dio_ ,” Romano was left having an existential crisis next to this idiot because he was _right_. He really was predictable; it was the same cycle. It still didn’t make it hurt any less though, every time it just felt like hell, another heartbreak, “Whose fault is it then?”

“Take two to tango, man. Thought you knew that being with Spain and all,” That wasn’t something he liked to hear, “Since you’re asking me though and my opinion matters more than anybody’s, I’d say that you don’t help yourself.”

“ _Tch_ , okay. Hit me with your little psychoanalysis.” Romano joked but Prussia took it seriously.

“You’re snappy, kind of like you think everybody is just out to get you. It’s just worse around Spain because you don’t trust him. I don’t think that’s something you’ll ever really get over though. Some of it is Spain’s fault, he didn’t exactly _beg_ to keep you around and the whole thing with Italy was kind of a mess. Then again, who wouldn’t want to hang around Italy, he’s cute-“

“I didn’t ask for you to get horny over my little brother you sick bastard-“ Prussia simply steamrolled over him as he continued what he was saying without acknowledging him.

“But you’re just as cute, just different to what he expected and I think that Spain really screwed himself that time and ever since then you seem to think he doesn’t completely fall all over himself trying to gain your affection. _So_ , I think you just need to accept it. I don’t think you have anything to be paranoid about but who knows, at this point, you two might have _too much_ history.” Romano was taken aback by how genuine he sounded. It was kind of weird to see Prussia in such a deep state of thought, his face wasn’t contorted into that egotistical smirk like he usually did. It was kind of nice. Just talking.

It was rather unfortunate when a football smashed right into that content face, Romano was almost a little disappointed. Instead, he laughed. Prussia let out a string of curses, holding his nose and groaning.

“Oh, _Mio Dio_ , I’m so sorry!” Veneziano called, “Does it hurt?” He rushed up to them and tried to nurse the injured. Romano smirked.

“It better.” Romano kicked back.

“ _Shut up_ ,” Prussia retorted before he looked up at Veneziano, blood dripping out of his nose, “It’s fine! Nothing could hurt me, I’m too good for a stupid little ball.” Veneziano frowned.

“You’re getting blood on your shirt.” Prussia looked down at the bloodstains and then looked at his bloody hands.

“Huh, so I am. Oh well! Don’t worry about me, little Italy!” He cackled, “It’s just a little sore, nothing that could defeat me.”

“Are you sure?” Veneziano asked. He clearly felt guilty but Romano waved his hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it, when the end of days comes it’ll be the cockroaches and this fucker,” He pointed to Prussia before shooting him a smirk. Prussia punched his arm in his pain, it didn’t hurt though, “ _Tch_ , I’ll take care of it. Just go frolic with that big oaf.”

“You sure, brother?” Romano was already getting up to take Prussia inside. He hated that German sun anyway; it wasn’t as warm as his part of the world.

“Yes, I’m sure, now go, piss off.” His brother whined but didn’t stop him from pushing Prussia inside. He was quite happy to shut them out.

“It’s pretty cool to have two Italies doting on me,” Prussia bragged blood still pouring out that straight as a board nose of his. Seriously, the thing was ridiculously perfect even after getting hit directly with a football and he _knew_ his brother didn’t hold back when it came to his kicks. Romano elbowed him in the ribs, “ _Hey_!”

“I’m not doting on you. I just wanted to ask you some questions since you seem to know everything all of a sudden.”

“ _What_? You’re not even going to take care of me?” Romano scoffed.

“You’re fuckin’ older than me, big boy,” He reserved a cushy seat on top of the kitchen counter as Prussia raided the freezer for some ice. He was rather disgruntled about Romano’s reaction to him, “ _So_ , you really meant what you said?” The idiot didn’t even take his head out of the freezer until he closed it with the ice tray.

“ _Huh_?” He asked he had obviously completely ignored him. Romano frowned, seething.

“When we were out there you said-“ His face went red, “Never mind, stop that,” He watched as Prussia took a block of ice and put it directly on his nose, holding his head back to catch the blood. He couldn’t watch him struggle so much with a little nosebleed. Romano jumped off the counter and took the block of ice out of his hand, “Don’t put it directly on your face.” He looked around and took a dishtowel, stuffing it with more ice.

“I thought I was a _big boy_.”

“Stop your whining, I was wrong. You’re still a man child,” Without mercy, he slapped the bag of ice on his face eliciting a grunt from Prussia, “Hold it, dumbass.” He said when Prussia just stood there leaving Romano to hold it for him.

“Perfect score for bedside manner,” Prussia joked, taking the ice bag from him, “So you wanted to talk about how I said you’re cute?” He choked on his own saliva at the sudden pivot, “I’m kidding, man.” He smiled but he quickly dropped it. Romano suddenly grew suspicious.

“Whatever, I was going to ask if you had any suggestions. You know, with Spain.” He’d been somewhat hopeful that this idiot could help him. Prussia shrugged.

“I don’t know, why are you asking me? I don’t need anybody, I’m happier that way,” Romano crossed his arms, “Really, I’m telling you when you realize you’re better alone you’re a lot happier.”

“Sounds like something a loser would say.” Romano could see the loneliness manifested in Prussia’s personality. He never really saw him with other people, part of him felt bad because there had been times when he stopped Spain from visiting the poor bastard for his selfish reasons. It didn’t exactly seem like Prussia was happy, at least not now. Romano couldn’t exactly catch a break either though.

“Yeah, guess it is.”

“ _Hey_ , you can’t call yourself a loser. Only I can call you a loser,” Romano scolded, “What’s wrong with you?” Prussia took the ice bag away from his face. His nose seemed to stop bleeding but he was still messy from the red splotches smeared around his face and the patches on his shirt.

“Spain will take you back. Just ask him and just… Trust him. He hates breaking your heart, even if you do it to yourself.” He ignored him, of course. It was rather uncomfortable to start going into Prussia’s emotions, he generally didn’t get sentimental like that. Romano took it upon himself to take the ice bag from him.

“Go clean yourself up. You’re probably going to have an aneurysm when you see how much a mess you look.” Prussia smirked.

“I don’t know, am I a _big boy_ yet?” Romano sighed, completely tired of his shit.

* * *

“You don’t take much convincing, do you?” Prussia almost sounded surprised as Romano washed his bloody face with a rag. He grumbled under his breath, he really didn’t, “You almost seem like you like me a bit.”

“That’s the overstatement of the century,” Romano said sarcastically, “I don’t like you at all. I just need something better to do than watch my brother sweat all over yours. _Eugh_.” He genuinely felt sick at the thought. What the hell did his brother see in that bastard? Prussia had that face he made when he was about to say something Romano _really_ disliked on his face.

“C’mon, you don’t think they sweat all over each other every night? Surely, you’d know about it,” Romano _almost_ threw up all over him, “What’s with the gross face? Your brother is a freak!”

“ _My_ brother is a freak? Yours is probably into some freaky German porn crap that he uses to corrupt my brother’s mind!”

“ _Hm_ , I don’t think so. I hear little Italy say some nasty things sometimes, they forget I’m here half the time.”

“You disgust me,” Romano couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “You _listen_ to them? You Germans really don’t have any shame.”

“ _Hey_ , I’m still Prussian mind you,” He corrected, “And it isn’t like I _want_ to hear that crap!”

“My brother isn’t like that,” Romano doubled down. Prussia shot him a look of disbelief, shaking his head as if he was disappointed, “ _Tch_ , aren’t you the one who said he was cute? A cute person wouldn’t be a freak.”

“Yeah but he’s _only_ a freak in the sheets- _Ow_!” Romano slapped him. _Slapped_ him, hard too. The great Prussia left with tears in his eyes, an unintentional consequence to the sting. He rubbed his face, offended by the reaction.

“You better still be celibate because I’ll have your balls cut off by a _mafioso_.”

“Whatever man, I’m too awesome for that.”

“What? You still a virgin or something?”

_Silence_.

“ _Seriously_?” Romano leaned forward; voice regressed to a whisper at the shock. Prussia seemed thoroughly embarrassed. He pushed Romano’s face away and put on a sour face. He simply couldn’t help but laugh, Prussia was always acting like hot shit when he couldn’t even get laid. He talked a big talk for someone who hadn’t even managed to bed someone, “ _Mio Dio_ , you’re more of a loser than I thought.”

“Yeah, yeah, lap it up. I don’t even care!” Prussia exclaimed, caring a whole lot more than he wanted to let on, “I’ve just been busy!”

“ _Bullshit,_ how many fuckin’ centuries have you been _busy_?” He was loving the shameful look on his face, “You haven’t even tried anything with a human?”

“ _No_ , I was celibate for centuries, how was I supposed to know that everybody else was doing it without me?”

“ _Tch_ , for an old man you really haven’t lived.”

“Sex isn’t _living_ , it probably sucks anyway if I haven’t done it before.” He tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal but Romano had never heard of such a thing. He was sure that even more isolated nations had found a way to lose their virginities, whether it was with one of their nation’s citizens or with another nation, they could go on for hundreds of years so it was an oddity to _never_ do anything. Even someone like Prussia should’ve done it by now, pretty much everybody in Europe had religious pasts, not everybody kept the habit up with changing times though.

“Like you would know,” Romano frowned, “Sex is pretty awesome.” He didn’t know why he sounded so sad. Maybe because he thought of Spain, he kind of missed him already. Not that he’d admit that. He fiddled with his hands, not wanting to look at Prussia while he was getting so sentimental.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah…” Romano finally looked up, “ _What_? You waiting for a kiss or something?” he wisecracked. The dumb look on Prussia’s face told him everything. Romano had a visceral reaction, stepping back with a shocked face, “ _No_. Absolutely not. You cannot look at me like _that_.”

“Why not?”

“ _Because_ I still have a chance with Spain. He’s an idiot but we’ll get back together. I swear it.”

“I believe you,” Prussia nervously rubbed his hands together, “Just thought… Maybe…”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe I could just be a rebound or something. For a bit.” It was perhaps the stupidest suggestion he’d heard come out of his lips. That was a tough bar to set any higher. Romano crossed his arms, slightly disgusted but also intrigued.

“ _Go on_ , you look like you’re dying to tell me what you’re thinking.” Prussia perked up.

“Well, since you asked so gracefully,” He looked like he was about to give a presentation, not that he ever did those at the meetings, “I was thinking, crazy idea, that maybe we could have a mutual thing going on. _I_ get to not be a little sissy virgin loser baby boy anymore and _you_ get to have a little something different! I can be like, the best rebound you’ve ever never had.”

“Why on Earth would I want a little sissy virgin loser baby boy as my _something_ _different_ , out of _everyone_ else.” Prussia shrugged.

“Because I’m hot.” Romano rolled his eyes.

“Whatever, I’ll do it.”

“Wait, for real?” Romano nodded, completely regretting his decision already, “Holy shit, you really don’t take much convincing.” The genuine surprise and excitement in Prussia's voice just made Romano a little sad. _This_ used to conquer Europe?

“ _But_ you can’t go around telling people about it. I’m only doing it out of pity. You’ll be a pity rebound. I would never be able to show my face around meetings if anybody knew _you_ were even ten feet near me naked.”

“Well, shit, I think that’s a pretty good trade-off.” And so, it was. Romano had half a mind to break the entire idea off. He just didn’t want to tell him that he was at least somewhat interested in him, he could be alright sometimes. As much as he liked to insult him too, he didn’t look completely hideous but somehow, he still thought he was really lowering his standards if he was so ready to take the offer. It was a stupid offer but he might’ve had a point. Maybe he did need something different, so he could realize how good he had it with Spain all along. Maybe next time, it would actually work out.

There was still that nagging voice in the back of his head that told him he had just made a huge mistake.


	2. Dandelion

Romano thought it was the perfect agreement. He didn’t want to risk the slightest chance of his brother or god forbid Prussia’s brother, finding out about the little deal they made in Germany’s bathroom. It was too scandalous for anybody to know about as much as Prussia seemed to run his mouth off, he seemed to agree with the sentiment as he knew what Romano would do if _anybody_ ever found out. He’d told Prussia to come over when Italy inevitably went to visit Germany, the only rule for that was that they had to communicate. Romano would call Prussia that his little brother had left and Prussia had to call in beforehand to announce his arrival to his side of Europe because he was not just going to waltz in thinking Romano would do anything with him on a whim. He had to mentally prepare for that shitshow.

It was almost exciting if it wasn’t _Prussia_. He knew that it wasn’t going to be good by any means. Still, he thought it could be worth having bad sex to understand _good_ sex. Spain practically knew everything about Romano at this point but it could be incredibly boring if there’s nothing else to explore. It wasn’t particularly special when Romano lost his virginity, sure it felt good but it wasn’t like Spain hadn’t done it before. In the end, he thought first times were overrated. Everybody thought the first time is the most special and commemorative of them all when all that happened during first times were awkward sounds, apologies, weird movements, and attempts at sexiness that were completely unnecessary. He wondered how many of those stages Prussia would go through.

It didn’t take long for his brother to leave the house; it was like he was connected to the hip with that Germany bastard. That had been yesterday, so he _knew_ that Prussia would call him eventually when he was ready. Right on cue, Romano picked up his phone and pressed it to his ear.

“Hey! I just touched down in Italy, it’s really hot though – I mean, Italy _is_ pretty hot but I mean the climate, y’know?” Romano had to pinch the bridge of his nose. This man was _not_ about to be inside him, this was the worst decision of his life. He couldn’t bail now though; Prussia had already done his side.

“Just shut the fuck up, I’ll get dressed. See yo-“

“W-Wait!” Romano stopped his finger from pressing the _end call_ on his screen, “What’s the point of putting on anything if it’s coming off?” If this was Prussia’s sad attempt at being sensual it wasn’t working on him.

“My dignity.” Romano hung up the call. He wasn’t about to lie naked on his couch _waiting_ all that time. He was bound to get bored. As he said, he was going to get dressed instead of lazing about in his underwear. The routine kicked in. He would do exactly what he did whenever Spain came over to visit, it usually worked his spirits up to be in the mood.

He put on a white button-up and tan trousers, keeping it simple. Things he wouldn’t mind getting wrinkled or thrown on the ground. He’d pour some wine for himself, not enough to get him drunk but a little pick-me-up to get him psyched up enough to do this. In the end, he wasn’t sure if he was morally correct. The cycle had always remained the same and if Spain expected him to come back to him and only him, was this the same as cheating? With his best friend no less. Oh no, _now_ of all the times wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. They weren’t together at the moment, he was a single man, it was _completely_ _fine_.

He poured himself another glass of wine and practically inhaled it. He was getting needlessly worked up over nothing. It was nothing. Just sex. Sex with an idiot, no virgin was going to _brag_ that his first time if it was bad, if anything he should be embarrassed. It was a rite of passage to cringe at your first time. It must’ve been some time before Prussia arrived because Romano was about to call it quits until he heard a knock on the door.

“ _Finally_ ,” He sighed. He was nearly just about ready to get drunk alone to send the bastard on his way back to Germany, still a virgin. There was no hesitation when he flung the door open, “I nearly thought you forgot about- What the fuck are those?” His eyes darted to the flowers Prussia had in his hands. Of course, they were roses. The most cliché bouquet of them all. Nonetheless, he was thoroughly surprised.

“Thought you’d like ‘em. I’m pretty cool, huh?” He waved the bouquet in his face, “Go on, take them. I practically went into debt for these.” Romano snatched them with a scowl.

“Don’t you know street vendors upcharge?” He scolded, “Just get in here before anybody sees you.” He opened up the doorway for Prussia to slip through, hopefully unnoticed but he wouldn’t put it past Prussia to make his presence obvious. Everything about this exchange already felt shady, he didn’t need witnesses.

“So… How are you?” Romano ignored him, throwing the roses on the entryway’s side table, “ _Hey_ , aren’t you going to put them in a vase or something?”

“No, I can’t have roses suddenly appear, I’m throwing them out later. It was stupid to buy them.”

“Aren’t you a ray of sunshine.” Prussia sighed, disappointed that his investment couldn’t be appreciated.

“Whatever, it was a nice gesture, just stupid,” He shot Prussia a look, “Come on, follow me.” He didn’t want to let on that he was getting nervous at the idea. He couldn’t be any worse off than Prussia though, his face was a mixture between childish excitement and fear. He guided him to his bedroom, lately it had also become his brother’s bedroom as well though with how many times he insisted he was too scared to sleep alone. Hence some of the Veneziano mementos strewn across the room. He hadn’t bothered to make his bed either, it was pretty much Prussia’s worst nightmare.

“Come on, you don’t even make your bed?” Romano frowned.

“What’s the point if it’s going to get messed up anyway?”

“ _Dignity_.” Romano groaned. He wasn’t about to have a philosophical debate on the importance of making his bed. He was here to have sex with him and nothing else, he didn’t need to backtalk.

“Well, get on it,” Prussia looked confused, “On the bed.”

“O-Oh, already?” Romano nodded, already annoyed at how clueless Prussia was acting, “Well… Okay,” He followed the order and sat on the edge of the bed, Romano watched as Prussia wiped his hands on his pants. He was clearly sweating over this, “Don’t I need to take my clothes off or something?”

“Christ you’re hopeless,” Romano approached him and used his foot to push his legs apart, “You hard?”

“What?”

“Is. Your. Dick. Hard?” When Prussia still didn’t answer, he dumbed it down even further, “Erect? _You_?” He flicked his forehead. Which finally got him talking.

“U-Uh, I think I’m having performance anxiety, man. Maybe we should-“ Prussia tried to excuse his flaccidity but Romano really couldn’t give less of a shit.

“You haven’t even started; you haven’t got performance anxiety,” Romano could gauge the situation already. He was going to have to put in a lot more work than he thought, “Just means we have to work up to it.”

“A-Ah, okay, man. So, what do you usually start with?” Prussia finally sounded like he was getting a little more onboard.

“Kissing.” He replied.

“Okay…”

“But I’m not kissing _you_ , that’s too far. I’m going to start with a blowjob.”

“Wait, wait, why won’t you kiss me?” Prussia’s voice was disappointed but Romano had a perfectly sound reason for it.

“Because kissing is too intimate. We’re just having sex, got it?” Prussia nodded along but still had a noticeable frown on his face. He had to distract him, to make it seem at least somewhat enjoyable. Sure, he didn’t really have much faith in the direction this was going to go but it was still his first time. He had to be at least a _little_ hospitable. But in the same breath, he’d never been with anybody less experienced before, usually, that was his schtick.

He’d decided to go right ahead and get on his knees. As a response to this, Prussia accidentally closed his legs up a little before Romano stopped him with a hand.

“If you crush my face with your thighs this is over,” He warned, “I’m just getting it up for you.” He explained. It wasn’t exactly going to be an impressive first reveal, nobody looked impressive soft. His hands were swift in unzipping his fly. He was about to reach in to pull it out but there was no opening. Confused, he persisted in fumbling around. Spain _always_ had the flap, where was the goddamn flap?

“What’re you doing down there?”

“Where the fuck is the dick flap?”

“ _The dick flap_?” He asked as if it was a foreign concept. Romano groaned.

“Just pull it out, I don’t have time for this.” That was a lie, he had all the time in the world. If they wanted, they could spend the whole week together without problems. So much for being the more experienced one, so far, every exchange they were having was a complete mess. Prussia, ever the good soldier, pulled his own pants down along with his underwear. Romano barely let Prussia settle down before he took the opportunity to cease any conversation by putting his mouth of the exposed area.

“ _Woah_! Didn’t expect you to just go at it,” Prussia exclaimed, “It’s warm.” Romano couldn’t bear this.

“Did I ask for a commentary?” He quipped. Before the idiot could respond he dove straight back into the task at hand and gave him a couple of teasing licks before he began to work on soft sucking. It didn’t take long for him to become fully erect. His mouth was surprisingly full and almost struggling to keep up.

“ _A-Ah_ , _that feels alright_.” He knew Prussia was trying his best not to be too loud but for some reason, it still ticked Romano off. _Alright_? Romano was fucking _great_. He was _lucky_ that his first time would be with him. This sudden urge of overconfidence he became more earnest with his stimulation. He could hear Prussia taking in a deep breath, he almost became worried when he didn’t hear him exhale but eventually, he sighed and seemed to relax.

His tongue graced along his length before he decided to take him deeper. It may have been a mistake though because Prussia was getting himself rather worked up for a blowjob, Romano thought he would’ve had _some_ restraint. He had to cease the act earlier than expected because he feared an early finish. Of course, this offended Prussia.

“ _Hey_ , why’d you stop?”

“Because you look like a dehydrated dog,” Romano took it upon himself to begin undressing, “Move up a little.” He walked around to retrieve a bottle of lubricant from the bedside table only to open the draw to nothing. His heart raced, _fuck_.

“Hold on, my lube is gone.” He pathetically pulled his half-buttoned shirt up, “ _It’s fucking gone_.”

“What do you mean gone?”

“ _What do you mean gone?_ ” He mocked, “We can’t have sex without it.”

“Well just… I don’t know, _substitute_.” Romano looked over. He was still rock hard. _Great_.

“We aren’t substituting, last time I did that my ass and legs were oily, _eugh_ ,” He did not recommend olive oil. The worst part was that it wasn’t even Spain’s idea, it was his. The shit horny people do amazed him, truly, “Check the other side.” Prussia looked down as if to say _with this_? Romano groaned and crawled over Prussia to get to the other side.

“ _Fucking hell_. I definitely put it in one of these,” He could hear Prussia already pulling his pants up, “Don’t you fucking dare, we are finishing this.” He dug in the drawer pulling out a piece of paper.

“But-“

“ _Motherfucker_ , I’m going to kill that fucking _idiot_.” The realization dawned on him.

“Hey, man. No need to be so aggressive.”

“But I _am_! Veneziano stole my lube!” He exclaimed, “I’m going to wring his neck. _Sorry big brother, I’ll bring it back in a few days_ , _ciao!_ The dumb bitch even drew a cat on the bottom.” He mocked his little brother’s voice before ripping the paper to shreds, “Do you know how long it takes to get in the mood to have sex with the likes of _you_? What a waste.” He’d already gotten himself off the bed, beginning to button up his shirt.

“Hey!” Now Prussia had definitely pulled his pants up, “I’m not that bad, am I? All you did was suck it for a bit and then get pissed. Is it really that easy for you to give up?”

“ _Tch_ , this was stupid anyway. Just take a cold shower or something. I’ll have you know I wasn’t even aroused _once_ in that whole ten minutes.” He needed _someone_ to take his anger out on. It would usually be his brother but right now, Prussia was all he had.

“Why don’t I try?”

“Excuse you?”

“I can try to blow you,” He said it so casually but clearly still nervous, “Can’t be that hard.”

Now it was Romano’s turn to be worried, “No way, you’ll bite my dick off,” He would’ve kept buttoning his shirt until he saw that depressing look in Prussia’s eyes. _God_ , he was so needy for such an old man. His hands stopped what they were doing for a second before he sighed, “ _Fine_. Just don’t look at me like that anymore.” He’d expected to have a little more control over the situation. He rarely gave that up, at least if he was the one putting out, he could retract the favor whenever he wanted. That kind of power felt good.

He tried to get comfortable, laying half upright, a pillow under him to keep his back comfortable. He saved Prussia the trouble by pulling his trousers down himself, god forbid Romano become any less aroused by watching him curse about how hard it was to undress _other_ people. In all the time, Prussia had just _watched_ like the weird freak he was.

“So? You going to do anything or just ogle at my junk?”

“Well, shit, man. Give me a break.”

“A break? You haven’t even done anything.”

“You know what I mean,” Prussia grumbled. He positioned himself between Romano’s legs. He gave his crotch and uncomfortably long examination before he decided to build up enough courage to give him a poke and a prod. Romano sighed; he was just about ready to fall asleep. Then he leaped up with a hiss when he felt rough hands pull on his dick like he was playing tug of war.

“What the fuck, with your dry ass hands?” Prussia cackled, “It’s not funny.”

“Thought you looked a little sleepy there, had to make sure you were awake,” He frowned, “What am I supposed to do though.”

“You just put it in your mouth, and you suck. This isn’t rocket science.”

“Right. Right. _I got this_.” He could’ve sworn he heard him chanting his little ego-boosting phrases. It didn’t matter to him, he just wanted to get off somehow, he wasn’t about to have Prussia come all this way for nothing. Everything _felt_ just fine. Nothing particularly egregious. It just felt warm, there was _some_ indication that he was sucking, perhaps a little too hard but no real indication he was using his tongue or anything of the sorts. It was a good effort but nothing that was going to make Romano reach any satisfaction. Oh well, at least he was eager-

“ _Fuck!_ ” Prussia stopped in fear, clearly spooked, “Too much teeth, _Christ above_. Watch it.”

“Right. Teeth.” He was obviously taking note so Romano threw some more in for him.

“And you have a tongue. Use it for something other than talking out your ass. Also, don’t suck so hard. Also, use some more saliva-“ Prussia held up his hands, stopping Romano in his tracks.

“Alright, _geez_. I’m doing my best here.”

“Well, your best is kind of shit. Sorry.” He was not sorry at all. If anything, it would motivate Prussia, even more, to do better. His ego was quite weak, he had to prove himself.

Attempt _número dos_ was better than the last marginally. He was still not using his tongue as much as he’d have liked but it was better than nothing. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine it wasn’t this idiot between his legs. Maybe if he really _believed_ it was Spain the fantasy would manifest into some kind of satisfaction because he was living in a nightmare. Suddenly, the warmth was gone. Romano cracked open an eye as if to say _why’d you stop?_ Because he was just starting to imagine Spain doing much better than what he was experiencing.

“Man, you can’t just be silent.”

“I can if there’s no reason to be making noise,” He frowned, sitting up slightly straighter, “What? You want me to sound like my brother?”

“Uh, yeah. Actually.” Romano grumbled before he let out a high-pitched squeal, falling back dramatically.

“ _Oh Germany, oh Germany!_ ” His face was contorted into pure ecstasy, “ _You’re so much better than your brother at pounding ass!_ ” He fell into a fit of giggles. Completely losing it. He looked up to see how unamused Prussia was, “Oh _come on_ , I’m just fucking with you. It’s kind of messed up to talk about my brother like that when _I’m_ the one with my dick out here.”

“No, no. It’s _fine_ ,” He pouted, “But I wouldn’t mind if you _could_ say that. Y’know, a little less high pitched and scratchy. Also, my name instead. Also-“

“Shut up with your fantasies. Not in a million years, at least, if you’re _this_ bad at oral. After this, I think we should just – Hey!” Attempt _número tres_ , Romano expected it to be the same mess that Prussia thought was acceptable. Until it felt kind of _nice_. Kind of nice turned into really nice. He could feel his body relax, getting used to the feeling of a mouth around him. _No_ , it wasn’t just _a_ mouth, it was Prussia’s. He had to remember that. The feeling of his tongue grazing over his sensitive spots was starting to get to him.

A sound threatened to come out of his throat that he refused to let go. He couldn’t let Prussia _win_. It wasn’t until he heard a chuckle that he realized what had happened.

“Shut the fuck up,” Prussia most definitely didn’t _shut the fuck up_ , “It’s not funny! Why’d you stop anyway?” The man between his legs let out a pitiful sounding moan, mocking him, “Shut up!” He could feel his face turning redder than the communist manifesto at the hilarity that Prussia was experiencing.

“You sound so cute though-“ Romano grabbed Prussia’s hair and pulled him back to the task at hand. Of course, he had to find a way to ruin it. Attempt _número cuatro_ was perfect from the get-go. It only took forever and a lot of effort on Romano’s part to get the ball rolling but now he was loving it. Not that he would say anything about that to the cocky Prussian.

For some reason, he didn’t even really feel the need to imagine he was somewhere else, with _someone_ else. He was rather comfortable being in this bed with this idiot. Soon he didn’t even care what sounds he was making; he was just in the moment. It was actually pretty nice not having to listen to Prussia’s stupid potato voice, he could get some peace and just lay back and sigh and feel _good_. He could tell he was becoming sensitive; he felt a distinct heat in his abdomen, his toes curled and he just had to let it happen. He didn’t have enough time to let out the words, he just-

“ _Hey_ , are you nearly don- _Agh_!” Romano didn’t bother himself with the noise, he just enjoyed the after wave of his climax until he finally heard the string of curses coming from across him. Prussia was already jumping around like he’d been set on fire, he had to wonder what had caused such behavior. Romano was enjoying himself after all.

“The hell is wrong with you?”

“ _It’s in my eye- Ack_ , _Christ_! It burns!” Romano sighed as he simply put the chaos on in the background, pulling his trousers up, put his hair back to normal. He got up to inspect the damage.

“Come over here, let me see,” Prussia rather meekly approached him clutching his eye, “Move your hand, dumbass.” When he did, his eye was shut. It was rather embarrassing to see his own semen all over his face, he could see where it had dripped down into his eye. The poor bastard had managed to crack it open, tears pouring out and extremely red. The whites of his eyes were colored the same as his iris. He couldn’t help but snigger.

“What the fuck, are you a sadist or something? It stings!”

“ _I’m sorry_ , I’ve just never had this happen before,” He couldn’t contain the laughter, “ _I’m sorry_ , I’ll give you some eye drops.”

* * *

It was strangely content afterward. Every so often, Prussia would complain about his eye, it was still a bright red but otherwise, he seemed to of calmed down. Romano’s stomach still hurt though from attempting, and failing, to suppress his laughter. Now they were sitting on opposite sides of the same bed, completely made by Prussia from new sheets to neatly fluffed pillows. Even with a fucked-up eye, he still had standards. He would’ve gone a step further in folding all of Veneziano’s clothing and organizing the whole room, probably stripping and replacing the floorboards while he was at it but Romano stopped him by meeting a middle ground with just the bed.

“Was I awesome?” Prussia piped up.

“What?” He looked Prussia in the eyes. Those fucked up eyes.

“You know, blowin’ you.” Romano couldn’t say anything outright terrible to his face. He _had_ tried his best after all. He didn’t like to break everybody’s heart so carelessly. He rolled his eyes.

“It’s a pass, barely,” He sighed, giving in, “It was pretty good near the end…”

“ _So_ , next time tomorrow we can do it right, yeah?”

_“Tomorrow?”_

“Yeah, I’m not going home a virgin, I told you that.”

“Um, _no_ you didn’t,” He was fairly certain he would remember that little snippet of information, “You’re going home today. We’ll do it some other time.”

“What? That’s such a rip-off, I flew all the way out here.” Prussia whined.

“How long did you even plan to stay then?”

“ _Well_ , I got a couple more nights here before I have to hop on the plane back. Italy won’t even notice I even came over here.”

“The fuck did you do that for? You just expected me to take you in without question,” He turned more dramatically Prussia’s direction, completely irritated by the thought process this idiot had gone through. Prussia nodded. He groaned. He didn’t think he’d have to deal with him any longer than he needed to, “This is _not_ how fuck buddies work.” He slumped back down, too tired to deal with this bullshit anymore.

“We aren’t _just_ fuck buddies though, I’m your rebound! They aren’t the same thing!”

“I don’t know, I was under the impression it was just sex. That’s a fuck buddy to me. Friends with benefits or whatever. It happens to of come after a break-up,” He explained. They clearly hadn’t gone into enough detail about this deal. He didn’t think they would be hooking up again so soon after today. He’d just assumed, _next time_ , would be the next time his little brother goes off to Germany, “After you’re not a virgin we’ll go back to the way it was and I’ll see how much better Spain is.”

“Hold on, _that_ wasn’t a part of the deal, you’ve been comparing me to _Spain_?”

“Well, the deal was shit from the beginning. All it is was a ploy for you to bed someone who vaguely resembles my little brother. I just retaliated by comparing you to the only other person I _could_ compare you to. We compared each other, big deal.” _Big deal_ , he couldn’t admit that it affected him more than he cared to let on.

“Whatever, man. I’d be happy to of bedded either of you. You’re still cute.”

“ _Tch_ , how sentimental,” Romano was actually having a good time with him. Not just being intimate but with his presence. He was rubbing up to this guy. _Not literally_ , just, ugh. He hated this position he’d put himself in, “Now get the fuck out, I’m tired.”

“What? Where will I go?”

“The couch.”

“But I’m here already, this bed is big enough for two.” Romano groaned and got under the covers.

“Fuck off, I’m sleeping.”

“It’s only midday.”

“Great, a _siesta_ ,” He tried to close his eyes before sighing, “Just don’t snore or I’ll kick you in the balls, alright?”

“Hell yeah, this is the best day.” He said excitedly. He rather aggressively jumped under the covers with Romano. This guy had too much energy for a siesta.

“ _Mio Dio_ , you’re so needy.” Romano wasn’t sure how he was going to survive with this arrangement.


	3. The Sober Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No smut this chapter but some pining and banter. Smut will come next chapter. :)

A groan came out of Romano’s throat when he cracked open his eyes. They immediately closed again as he found himself trying to figure out where he was for a moment before he remembered. Another groan came out of his throat, except this one was because he remembered all the events that led up to his _siesta_. What a nightmare that was. He turned around to see where Prussia was, he seemed like he was awfully quiet.

When he turned, he was almost nose to nose with him. He choked on his own breath at the shock. He would’ve screamed had he not stopped himself.

_Huh_.

Romano didn’t mind Prussia when he was asleep. Less noise coming out of his mouth. Kind of peaceful. Up close he could barely see any imperfections, it almost made Romano jealous, _almost._ He’d never want to be so pale, he practically blended in with the bedsheets. But still, he didn’t mind looking at him. His face was… Alright. He found himself wondering why he hadn’t managed to bed _anybody_ in all the time he’d been alive. He was focused so much on his face that when he saw those piercing red eyes, he let out a surprised shriek.

“Were you appreciating my hotness?”

Fuck, he had half a mind to knock him out just so he’d keep his mouth shut.

“No.” He lied. Spain always said he was a bad liar. His face would turn red and he couldn’t make eye contact. The thought almost saddened him; he was kind of missing how he knew everything about him.

“Whatever you say, man.” That was his ego boost of the day. He could probably read him well too, but he was no Spain. Spain wasn’t so arrogant about reading him correctly, he kept that in his head. Where most things should stay in regard to Prussia. Romano flung himself out of bed to avoid another second having to deal with the Prussian.

“What’re you going to do now?” Prussia asked, sitting up.

“Shopping.”

“ _Ooh_ , are you going to cook for me?” He asked a little too enthusiastically.

“No. I’m getting lube. That’s it. You can fend for yourself.”

“Damn, okay,” He said dejectedly, “Can I come with you?”

“What? Why? It’s just lube,” He shot him a confused look before he smirked, “Will you miss me?” He pouted before letting out a snigger. He heard Prussia get out of bed himself, Romano changed clothes fairly confident that he had nothing to worry about, they had seen each other’s dicks for God’s sake.

“I don’t know, just wanna come with. Maybe see Italy a bit. Not _Italy_ Italy but like-”

“You don’t need to clarify every time,” Romano deadpanned, “You’re going to see a whole supermarket, _amazing_. Truly a _Roman Holiday_ style adventure.”

“You know what I mean. It isn’t like I got much else to do around here.”

“I don’t know, maybe you can look through Vene’s underwear drawer since you’re so obsessed with my brother.”

“Like Italy has an underwear drawer. He doesn’t even fold his clothes.” He said it with such disgust, perhaps the only thing he couldn’t stand about Veneziano but he was sure the same disgust would apply to him, he wasn’t any better either. Speaking of folded clothes, Prussia was rather content putting his shirt back on, his happy place seemed to be putting on a nicely folded item of clothing. What a freak.

“You’re probably the type to sew the day of the week into your underwear.”

“ _Whatever_ , man. It’s just awesome organization, you wouldn’t know about it.” Romano paused.

“Fuck, I was just joking. You actually have the day of the week on your underwear?” He could see the shock on Prussia’s face.

“ _Pft_ , what? No.” It seemed like they were both terrible liars.

“You’re a lost cause, _Mio Dio_ ,” He pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t believe he agreed to let this guy inside him. Maybe there was still time, “Just don’t draw too much attention to yourself.”

“ _Wait_. I don’t think I know your _other_ name y’know? Your super spy name.”

“What?” He’d never heard of a super spy name.

“Y’know, _Gilbert_ , _Ludwig, Feliciano_ aaaand…” Prussia lifted his eyebrows and held out an imaginary microphone like he was on a game show, “Come on you’re killing me here.” He finally understood. _Christ_ , he called the super-spy names? How much of a loser was he?

“ _Lovino_.”

“Lovino! Alright, I can’t promise I’ll remember that so I’m going to call you big brother, sir.”

“W-Wha-“ He sputtered, “What’s the point of asking me then you dumb bastard?!”

“Courtesy. I’m a gentleman after all. I even got you flowers to sweeten you up,” He was staring right at Romano’s bitter face, “You’re only happy when I’m suffering or having an orgasm though.”

“Pretty much,” He wasn’t wrong there, “Come on, time to get some exercise.”

“Is walking to the store your only form of exercise?” Prussia had already taken to following Romano around like an annoying dog. Romano was almost certain he was a dog in another life, he even yapped on like one too. He couldn’t help but shrug at Prussia’s question, “No wonder you’re such a weakling then.” He picked on his arms, pinching his bicep. He pulled back and shot him a glare.

“Shut up, everybody knows that if you have muscles you’re overcompensating.” Romano hardly batted an eyelash as he made his way towards the front door. Those flowers were still there, he almost forgot about them.

“Did you just call my dick small?” Romano smirked and refused to answer the question as he opened the door, walking out first, “Is it actually?” He shrugged, shutting the door behind them.

“I don’t know, is it?” His keys chimed as he locked the front door, he had a grin on his face as he riled Prussia up.

“How am I supposed to know? I’ve only seen one other dick and it’s yours!”

“ _Tch_ ,” He regretted the jab. Now he felt the need to dignify him with an answer. His face flushed, “Learn how to take a joke. You’re doing fine.” Prussia cackled. He tried to ignore him.

“So it’s big!” Romano sputtered as a grin graced Prussia's face.

“When the fuck did I say that?”

“You had an easier time saying it’s small than admitting it isn’t. You just don’t want to admit I’m the full package! I’m hot, I got a big dick, I buy you flowers, I make you laugh even if it’s at my expense, I-”

“Alright stop with the gloating I know like five other people that are better options than you.”

“Oh yeah? Name them.” Prussia challenged.

“Then you’d never let me hear the end of it.”

“Why?”

“Because you’d say to me _oh, you think_ they’re _hot_ , or something stupid like that. I know your games.” Romano side-eyed suspiciously.

“I won’t! Promise, tell me and I’ll be totally silent the whole way.” That was an offer he didn’t want to refuse.

“ _Tch_ , fine,” He counted on his hand, “America-“

“ _America_?” Prussia’s genuine surprise had seemed to take over his facial expression.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t fuck it up!” Romano felt the overwhelming need to explain himself, “I lived with him for a long ass time, he’s kind of _nice_. Nicer than you and he’s not completely hideous. Those are the parameters I’m working with here so give me a damn break.” He wanted to shiver at his eating choices though. That shit kept him awake at night, he put ketchup on his pasta and thought _that_ was Italian cuisine. Not to mention, he was a complete idiot, he was even worse than Prussia in that regard.

“I’m sorry! Keep going.”

“Belgium.” _Silence_. Good. They were in some agreement there. She was a long-time crush of his throughout his teenage years. Who didn’t love an attractive woman who made him waffles and doted on him?

“ _Spain_. Definitely Spain. You know what? Let’s just throw in France.” He really just needed to prove Prussia wrong with numbers. All he needed to think of was one more reasonable option.

“ _France_? you said he smells like cheese and looks like a slug!”

“Well, he’s no better than you, the only difference is that he’s probably better at sucking dick than you. _And_ he’d buy me some better flowers.”

“Alright, _geez_ , wasn’t expecting to be personally insulted. Who would the last one be?”

“Uh… You get the idea.” He didn’t want to give up so easily but he was struggling to go through his catalog of anybody else he would be remotely interested in.s

“ _Ha_! Nice, I get to know your deepest fantasies and I don’t have to stop teasing you.”

“ _What_? No, four out of five is enough.” Prussia and his loopholes didn’t care about that though. If he promised five, he wasn’t going to get his end of the deal of silence.

“I can’t believe you would actually consider America over _me_. That’s the best thing I’ve heard all week.” Romano groaned. He knew it was a mistake. He had to think of _someone_. Come on, he had his name on the tip of his tongue. _Ugh_ , he _knew_ he’s seen him before. Prussia’s yapping wasn’t exactly helping him. He shoved his hand in his face as he reached his epiphany.

“ _Canada_.”

“Canada? What?” Prussia seemed dumbfounded, “I’m not sure I even know what they look like.”

“Alright, imagine _this_. An America that doesn’t eat like he’s aiming to go into cardiac arrest in the next thirty years, not loud and obnoxious _and_ he _listens_.”

“ _Pft_ , that doesn’t exist.”

“I’m serious, you’d think I’m crazy right? So now you can shut the fuck up because that makes five.”

“How do I know you didn’t just make this guy up; you’ve probably never even met him. Only people you know.”

“Shut up, while America was bombing the shit out of my side of Italy, Canada was pretty alright. It’s all coming back to me,” This happened pretty often, his memories of America tended to overshadow Canada quite frequently, “I never see him at any of the meetings though.”

“Probably because he isn’t real.”

“ _Shut up_ , Canada exists, you’ve probably seen him plenty of times. I _know_ I’ve met him.”

“Whatever.” Prussia crossed his arms, mumbling under his breath.

“You just hate losing, now close your trap and give me some peace.” To his surprise, he actually did remain quiet. Walking together in silence seemed rather boring now. He wasn’t going to admit that though, he would never hear the end of it from the bastard.

* * *

“This one.” Romano pulled out a bottle, it was the simplest option and he knew it worked decently. It would be a nightmare if anybody saw him in the health aisle picking out the lubricant he would use to deal with Prussia’s virginity. It was probably even more of a nightmare though to have Prussia in his ear while he was doing it.

“I don’t know, _Tropicana_ flavored lube sounds pretty good.” He even pulled it out of the shelf, “ _Ooh_ , _strawberry_.” It was like he was an actual child. Oh god. Romano was ready to blow his brains out already.

“Put those back, stop flaunting them around,” While Romano was rather discrete, Prussia wasn’t exactly changing his volume. He kept pulling everything out to show him like he didn’t know which ones he was talking about, “They never taste good either so stop it.” He said through his teeth. He kept checking around for witnesses. It only served to make Prussia laugh in his face.

“What’s the big deal, man. I’m just having fun with it.”

“Well, _I’m_ not having fun. I still live here you know. _You_ won’t have to stare at the cashier in the eyes every time you need something. I’ll haul my ass back to Sicily.”

“ _Pft_ , whatever, man. They won’t remember a thing,” He put the _sex on the beach_ flavored lube which gave Romano some relief, “Can we get some beer?” His goldish attention span kicked back in.

“ _No_. Beer tastes like cardboard.”

“You say that but have you ever tasted cardboard? It’s better than wine.”

“I’m not buying beer. _Feliciano_ would know for sure that something happened.” He may insult Veneziano’s stupidity but he’d probably have a heart attack if Romano ever started to drink beer. _Something_ would definitely be wrong with him. He’d probably go around telling everybody about it like Romano was on the verge of death.

“I’ll drink tonight. Don’t worry about it.” Prussia kept up with the chilled-out attitude. He seemed like he only did that when he was suggesting something especially dumb to convince him it was alright.

“Alcoholic.” He deadpanned.

“ _Hey_ , I don’t drink that much. You probably drink a bottle of wine a night.”

“ _No_ , I stop at four glasses.” His brother always complained about his wine consumption. Mostly because he hardly left any for him.

“Yeah, but a bottle of wine is like five glasses so you’re pretty much there already.”

“Shut up,” Romano groaned, “Fine. I’ll get your fucking beer you better not get drunk though.”

“It’d take a lot more than that to get me drunk, I’m too awesome for that.” He had to roll his eyes at Prussia’s overconfidence, in private, he seemed to be the biggest loser around. He’d hoped that buying this beer would lead to him getting too drunk and passing out, that would be a dream, it meant he’d have a whole night to himself.

* * *

He was glad to be done with it. Prussia was oddly well-behaved after he got his beer. It was a little awkward watching the cashier pull their items. Just when he thought he wouldn’t have to wear a hood every time he had to go to the store, Prussia had to open his big dumb mouth.

“I wanted the _Tropicana_ flavor but he’s boring,” Prussia said in his terrible Italian pointed his way right as the cashier picked up the lube. Romano’s first instinct was to punch him in the face but he had to contain his rage. The secondhand embarrassment on the poor cashier’s face as she put it in a bag seemed to rub off on Romano as his face went red, “ _What_ , not my fault you don’t like good taste.”

“ _Gilbert_ , stop it.” Prussia was having a wonderful time torturing him.

“Sorry, miss. I’m learning just as much as you are about this whole thing.” He pointed between himself and Romano, who was just about ready to die. He didn’t even need to hear the cashier say the price because he was ready on hand to pay and get out as soon as possible. He was absolutely going to give him an earful about it.

“ _Thank you_ ,” Romano grumbled before he just about ran away with his bags. It was perhaps the worst thing that he could’ve imagined and exactly why he didn’t want to bring Prussia out in public. He was a menace to society that bastard. When he was outside the store, he shot a look to Prussia who was trying to keep up with his fast pace.

“You’re such a fucking idiot, this is why I’d be happy without your ass around.”

“Come on, you talk to me all the time. You like me plenty,” Romano didn’t wipe the sour look off his face, “You have to like me at least a _little_.”

“No, I’m not as stupid as Vene, I can see you suck. In fact, you’re worse than the brother of yours.”

“Okay, now that I can’t believe. You nearly got me there.”

“What’s so unbelievable?”

“You can’t hate me more than my brother, everybody knows you can’t hate _anybody_ more than West.”

“ _Fine_ , but you’re right behind him. If you were fucking my brother, you’d be so much worse though. At least Germ-face wouldn’t intentionally embarrass me like that and I have to admit that his Italian is marginally better than yours. That’s not a compliment.” He hated to even imply that somehow there was a lower bar than what Germany set, that was a hard bar to lower but somehow Prussia managed to do that.

“That’s why you like me though.”

“No. It’s probably the least likable side of your personality.”

“Whatever, man. You want me so bad.” The arrogance in Prussia's voice was palpable. It made Romano want to sock him in the face.

“Like I said. I’d fuck those other five options before you any day.”

“ _Sure_. But you wouldn’t have the best pity sex of your life with them, I’m sure of it.”

“ _Mio Dio_ , you’re a loser.” Romano sighed, exasperated.

“An awesome loser. I’ll take it.”

* * *

He really needed to drink just to get rid of this fucker’s obnoxious laughter from his head. It might actually be somewhat of a good idea to drink before sex with the idiot but he didn’t want Prussia to have a whole scrapbook of all the embarrassing things he would do or say wasted and naked. He kept following him around as well so it wasn’t like he was going to get any time alone.

“Let’s watch one of your Italian films since I’m so bad at Italian.”

“Whatever, I’ll watch whatever I want. It’d be ten times better than your crappy German films.” It just so happened what he wanted was an Italian film.

“Hey, you can blame my brother for any _German_ films because I’m still-“

“Prussian. Whatever. You’re a naturalized German. Same thing. Your films still suck ass.”

“Sounds like someone who hasn’t seen _Metropolis_. I’m telling you, when I first saw it, I was blown away! The effects were state of the art, _oh_ , and that blondie was cute as hell.”

“State of the art usually stands for _shit now though_.”

“ _No_ , I still watch it all the time. I never got a reel of it when I first saw it, couldn’t see it again for another, _ah_ , must’ve been sometime in the last two decades? I get lost with dates.” Romano knew what he meant. All the years tended to blend with each other when you lived as many lifetimes as they had, some more than others.

“I’ll show you. _This_ is what real art is,” He flashed him a copy of _Bicycle Thieves_ , “Vene agrees, he cries every time.”

“Sounds like a joy.”

“It gives me joy. It’s really not _that_ sad. There’s just some adversity, y’know, like every movie has.”

“Yeah but you seem like the type that drowned ants for fun as a child.”

“ _Tch_ , says you. You were probably a pyromaniac.” Prussia held up his beer.

“I can drink to that,” He took a swig, “Well? Put it on.”

* * *

When the film was in its final moments, he could hear sniffling. Romano smirked.

“Man, that ending was fucked up,” Prussia wiped his face rather quickly for someone who piped up _he wasn’t crying_ , “It was just kind of depressing, man. That he didn’t get what he wanted.”

“Well, that’s life. _At least they have each other_ ,” Romano scoffed, “I have to tell Vene that every time. Was it good though?” He _knew_ it was good.

“Well, yeah, but still. I like a little more fun in my movies. Or hot chicks.”

“Right, so no taste?”

“Look I said it was good, alright? It’s really good, I just wouldn’t watch it again. Can we put on something that doesn’t make me turn into a pussy?” He sniffled right at the moment. Romano couldn’t help but shake his head, what a baby. For someone who was built like that, he was kind of easy to get the waterworks going with.

“I don’t know if I can stop you from being a pussy, I think that’s all you,” He tried to find something that America got him to watch, it seemed like Prussia and America had the same taste in movies. Not something that he should be proud of either, Romano could barely sit through some of them, mostly the action ones without any content.

“Look, I’ll just put one of America’s movies on and I’ll get too wasted to remember it, deal?” Prussia nodded.

“Whatever you say, as long as I get something uplifting.”

* * *

Prussia was having a grand old time with the movie, he almost completely forgot that Romano was there. He was terribly quiet and seemed to be doing lizard blinks to stay awake. He’d already gotten through a bottle and now he was stooping so low as to steal from Prussia’s beer. It wasn’t that much of a problem; he’d had enough himself and was just enjoying the visual of Romano’s red face as he slowly got drunker than a sailor.

“You alright there?” He had to ask. Just in case. Romano nodded, he tried to take another sip from his half-empty beer but it just dripped over his lips, down his neck and all over his shirt, “ _Ah_ , you’ve probably gone a bit too far.”

“ _Shut up_.” He didn’t even care about the massive stain of beer on him.

“ _Okay_ , but don’t complain you have a hangover in the morning.” He went back to watching the movie. Romano rather theatrically shook his head.

“I don’t get hangovers.” That was a bald-faced lie, even Prussia got hangovers.

“Impressive,” Prussia smirked. He couldn’t seem to keep upright; except he was starting to lean over to Prussia’s side. He fell all the way down until his head was on his lap, “Are you even watching the movie?”

He didn’t expect to hear sobbing.

“ _Hey_ , what the hell? What’s wrong?” He was slightly panicked. He hadn’t seen Romano _cry_ before. He was practically hiccupping and blabbering on about something.

“ _Spain_ used to do this with me, not _you_ ,” He sounded so heartbroken over it, “ _Get off me_.”

“You’re the one on me, man-“

“ _Get off me!”_ He made a weak attempt to hit him. It didn’t work very well because of the awkward position, “ _You’re_ not _Spain_.”

“Right, I’m not.” He gave him an awkward pat on the head as he tried to watch the movie. It was nearing the end but he wasn’t sure if Romano would last that long.

“ _Ugh_ ,” He grunted as he attempted to sit upright. Instead, he was holding onto Prussia to stay up, “I fucking hate you.” He said it as he meant it. Prussia wasn’t sure why it stung so much but before he could get the words out before Romano crashed his lips onto his. It was a rather bizarre experience; didn’t Romano hate him all of a sudden? He still had tears in his eyes, snot all down his face, he was wasted and he was pining for Spain. It wasn’t a good combination. Prussia wanted to enjoy it but he simply couldn’t when Romano was in such a bad state. He grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back, Romano’s teary eyes shocked by his refusal to continue.

“Kissing isn’t allowed.” Was all Prussia could say. His Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped. His mouth was going dry. He’d never been kissed like that, especially not from someone who looked like Romano. This was something that only happened in his dreams, not in the Italy brothers’ living room.

“ _España_ doesn’t mind,” Guilt filled his chest at the mention of his friend, “He’s the one who broke up with _me_ ,” He could barely get the last word out before he began to cry again. He’d always thought he would be an ugly crier based off Italy’s crying but this was so much worse than he’d expected, “ _Because I’m so stupid_.” Prussia sighed. There wasn’t much that was going to get him out of this.

“I don’t think he’d break up with you because he thinks you’re stupid.” Romano shook his head.

“But I _am_. I’m such a bastard to him a-and he’s so damn _nice_ – I’m _stupid_!”

“Alright, okay, time for bed,” He didn’t want to hear Romano lamenting about his relationship with Spain or lack thereof. It was rather pitiful to see from the likes of him, he was rather prickly but it seemed like this breakup was taking a toll. The protest from Romano went unheard as Prussia had to force him off the couch to little avail, “Come on, man.” He went from a puddle of a man to pissed off in two seconds at the very notion that he might be better off going to bed. He wasn’t sure how Spain dealt with a tiny terror version of Romano if this was what he was like as an adult.

“ _Nooo_ , fuck off.” It came out more garbled than intended but Prussia got the idea. It dawned upon him that he probably wouldn’t remember any of this so it would probably be okay to pick him up.

“Who would’ve thought you would be so bad with your liquor?” He teased; he began the process of picking Romano’s struggling body off the couch. He continued to resist even when he was already up in the air which made it much harder than it needed to be. Seriously, it was like Romano wanted to be dropped flat on his ass.

“Are we havin’ sex?”

“What?” Prussia asked a little surprised, “ _No_.” It seemed like Romano wasn’t listening because he went from pissed off to oddly affectionate. This guy was a complete nightmare!

“ _España_ doesn’t mind,” He mumbled again attempting to plant kisses all over his face. He tried his best to dodge him which was relatively easy with Romano’s poor motor skills at the moment, “I need this.” He kept mumbling all the way to the bed. He clung to Prussia when he tried to put him down. He couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous Romano was being, it was a shame he was the only one to see it.

“You have to let go-“

“ _Nooo_ , I don’t want to.” Prussia pried his hands off him where Romano fell with a muffled thud from the mattress taking the sudden weight. He whined but didn’t move. Prussia was too uncomfortable with dressing him appropriately for bed, Romano might be a little uncomfortable in the morning but then again, he could already predict the world of pain when he woke up. He took the duvet and put it over Romano so he wouldn’t get too cold in the night, it was the least he could do.

“Hey.” He whispered. Romano didn’t respond, his chest rising with soft snoring. Out cold. Prussia thought he was a lightweight, he hadn’t passed out like that in a while. But he guessed one of the good parts was seeing him like this, he was disgustingly cute when he was asleep. Actually, he was disgustingly cute most of the time. A better description might’ve been too hot for his own good, he had a strong face and perfect hazel eyes. Even his blemishes like the light freckles that dotted his face contributed to how attractive Prussia found him. It simply wasn’t fair that he was so enamored with Spain, not on anyone.

It felt wrong to sleep in the same bed as him, to pretend that they had something other than what they agreed from the start. That’s what he was doing, wasn’t he? Pretending. It was nice to have even a small amount of time with Romano in intimate ways. It simply felt different when he was around him, they could tease each other and it was just fine, Romano even laughed which he enjoyed the sight of way too much. He thought he’d take up the order that Romano gave him earlier in the day, he would sleep on the couch.

As took his seat back on the couch, his bed for the night, he wondered if what he was doing was morally reprehensible. If _this_ was what happened to Romano when he didn’t have the filter of sobriety, then he should take it as truth. Romano’s truth was that he was incredibly vulnerable and _sure_ Prussia was the virgin here, it still didn’t feel right to use that vulnerability for his own gain. He’d had his day, his day where he could just _be_ with Romano even if it was short. That was more than he could’ve asked for. As the movie credits rolled on the TV, he promised himself that tomorrow, he’d have to make the hard decision to cut off this stupid little arrangement.


	4. Secrets Under The Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see, a smutty chapter for thee.

Prussia almost jumped at the sudden rapping at the door, _almost_. He was too awesome to get scared over something so mundane. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence to have knocks on the door as a nation if it was the early 20th century. Now, it just put Prussia on edge. _Why was someone at the door_?

He looked around at the living room, it was messy. Beer bottles scattered around from where Romano had his drinks and a neat line of beer bottles from Prussia’s own. It made them easier to find and put in the recycling if they were put in a line in plain sight. He didn’t even know where Romano was putting some of his bottles, somewhere beside the couch, some on the coffee table, some other god only knew where. The knocking persisted but this time Prussia didn’t need to know who it was by looking through any windows. The knocking had a voice.

“ _Romano_! Are you home? Are you well?”

_Ah_ , shit. As they say.

He hadn’t expected _Spain_ of all people. Even his little brother or Italy would have been better unexpected visits in such a peculiar position as the one he’d found himself in. His inclination was to find Romano immediately but he knew that waking a half-drunken sleeping Romano may be a poor idea, he didn’t have much choice though, did he?

Careful not to alert Spain to the presence of life in the home, he quickly departed the living room to get up the stairs. Trying to avoid the sight of Spain just outside the walls. He could hear him attempting to get Romano to come out, most likely to patch things up. By the sounds of it, he felt guilty. Prussia didn’t mind that though, his heart was racing. He was a dead man if Spain found out he’d done unspeakable things with Romano, with the intent to do more.

He had no more care of what Romano would think of him, he would have a splitting headache and would probably yell at him. But he’d understand Prussia’s panic. Even if it meant he had to be chewed out in the meantime.

“ _Hey_ , _heeey_ ,” Prussia shook Romano’s body which was in a position that even a contortionist would be impressed with. He’d usually like to admire such a sight. The snores that were coming out of those plump lips were rather cute, _too cute_ , but alas, there were greater issues to concern himself with at the moment, “ _Hey!_ ” He gave a firm shove that interrupted the deep sleep Romano had been in all morning. Even when he’d had a long night out, Prussia was _always_ an early bird.

“ _Wha­_ \- What the fuck, _ugh_ …” Romano groaned, opening and shutting his eyes before squinting, “The hell do you want, fuckface?”

“Spain is here.” _That_ woke him up. He sputtered before pulling himself out of bed, looking around rapidly trying to orientate him himself, stumbling before gaining his footing again. It was obvious he was still feeling the effects of last night but was too consumed with the information given to him to care.

“W-Well, just stay here and I’ll deal with it okay?” Prussia gave him a salute, “Good… Good. Everything is _good_ ,” He sighed before shooting a glare at Prussia, “ _Don’t_ fuck this up.”

“It’s _okay_ , Christ, man. I didn’t even say anything.” He felt the need to hold up his hands to show his innocent intentions. There were stakes for him that could get Spain on his bad side for he next few centuries, who knows, Spain might go back to his days of piracy and conquering just to _fuck him up_ so to say.

“Whatever, I’ll be back, you bastard.”

* * *

He ripped open the door halfway through another one of Spain's insistent knocks leaving him stuck in an awkward pose, hand stuck in a fist held up. It didn’t matter, he hissed at the sunlight that irritated his headache.

“What the hell do you want. Coming back to me?” Romano narrowed his eyes, both to sell the effect to Spain and to try and stop that blasted light from flaring up the pain even more. He didn’t want to admit how happy he was to see his face around his place again. Spain shot him a sheepish smile, hand flopping back down to his side, “Well? What’re you doing here?”

“Veneziano told me that he’d be gone… I think he was implying I screwed up.” _Of course_. His nosey little brother was back to his ways matchmaking where Romano couldn’t.

“Have some self-awareness for once?” Romano knew he had no right to be so smug. He’d screwed this all up, not Spain.

“I guess so… I didn’t mean all that stuff I said to you. It was just… _Mean_.” He frowned. Romano scoffed, he almost wanted to laugh.

“ _Mean_? I think you can do better than that.” Spain sighed.

“I’m sorry I brought up some things I know hurt you. It wasn’t something you deserve,” Romano’s face dropped. He didn’t deserve such good treatment from the likes of Spain. Not after what he’d done to him from the very start. Mistreating him, hurling much worse insults, and digging up _everything_ from the past. Spain looked up at him with a soft smile, hopeful, “Can we fix it?”

“I… I don’t know…” Romano said honestly. The look on Spain’s face showed his surprise, he’d never said that before, “Don’t get me wrong, I _want_ to but I’ve been told… We have too much history.” He hated to admit that Prussia was probably right about this.

“ _Romano_ , we all have history. Let’s just start over, no more history. Yes?” Start over. It was tempting. _Christ_ , those eyes. They peered for a split second away from Romano, behind him before they did a double-take. Romano frowned, what was wrong with Spain?

“What are those?” Romano looked behind him. The flowers in view. Goddamn, those _overpriced roses_. His jaw was left dropped trying to explain.

“ _U-Uh_ , they’re…” _Prussia_ ’s, “Yours. I got them for you,” Spain seemed to mistake his guilt for embarrassment before he seemed completely taken by Romano’s kindness. Well, his fake kindness that he’d just made up on the spot. He grabbed the roses, “Sorry… _Surprise_.” Romano sheepishly held out the roses for Spain to take.

“Always so thoughtful, Romano,” He took the bouquet in ignorant bliss, “I wish I could say I brought you something like this.”

“ _Ugh_ , please don’t. I only got them because I knew you had no taste.” _Seriously_? Roses?

“Oh well, I guess I just like these sappy things…” He said breathlessly. Oh God, he thought he was a dream, Romano was far from it. The guilt was eating him up. “Should I ask to come inside?”

“I don’t know, should you?”

“Can I come in?” He asked coyly. It was a hard choice to make. That proposition had been made many times before and he knew that it _always_ led places that involved a whole lot of pleasure. He knew Prussia was in the house but _maybe_ he could be quiet. _Maybe_ he wouldn’t know a thing had even happened at all. It was a big enough house to get away with that.

Romano stepped aside, “Sure.” He accepted. Spain seemed pleased by this, stepping right in. Romano sighed as he closed the door.

“I didn’t know you drank beer now.” Romano rubbed his face before he stopped.

“What?”

“I don’t know, looks like an awful lot of beer. Thought you hated the stuff,” He turned away from the living room, giving Romano a suspicious look before approaching him, pressing his lips to his, pulling away sooner than what he’d of wanted, “Taste like it too.” Romano gulped.

“W-Well, I was just really having a shit night… If you’re asking so many questions all of a sudden,” The guilt read on Spain’s face, “But you’re here now. I knew I shouldn't have… I should just stop being stupid.” It was probably the first honest thing he’d said so far.

“You’re not stupid. Don’t say that.” Always quick to defend him, even if it was from himself.

“Fine. I should stop being a bastard. To you. Everyone else can go fuck themselves all the same,” Spain chuckled, it reminded Romano of all the good times, “Sorry.” He muttered.

“Don’t be sorry.” When the hell did it get so hot? He couldn’t stop staring at him, he wanted to look away but he simply couldn’t bear to. It was hard for him not to miss this idiot, they’d spent so much time together, it was practically impossible. But he knew it was because this time felt like the last time, when Spain finally broke the cycle to tell Romano _everything_ that he had on his mind. It really did seem like this would never happen again. He had to make it count.

They practically threw themselves at each other, roses falling the ground forgotten as Spain and Romano interlocked. He didn’t even care about his headache, he was too focused on pulling Spain closer, _closer_. There weren’t enough ways to achieve such a goal other than to grab at his hair, pull on his shirt, and pray to God that the angels above were averting their eyes.

“ _I missed you_.” Spain whispered, breathless. He could feel the shiver go up his spine. He missed this. He missed him.

“Just fuck me you bastar-“ He couldn’t even get the insult out before Spain went back to pulling Romano right back into his little lustful games. It was fun this way when Spain had little care for his insults. It only fueled him to do so much more. It’s exactly what he wanted from the likes of the bastard that kept crawling back into his life, _more._ It was better when they hadn’t seen each other in a fleeting moment. It made it more exciting.

Like hormone-filled teenagers they made their way upstairs, ready to move into the bedroom before a thought that Romano hadn’t quite considered popped into his head. Before Spain could throw the door open Romano took his wrist and pulled him into a kiss, putting his body in between Spain and the door. The risk of discovering Prussia was too great. Spain pulled away confused but clearly smug about the sudden affection.

“We can do that inside. I didn’t know you were so eager!” Romano blushed.

“U-Uh, yeah, eager,” He turned around to open the door but only by a sliver. He couldn’t see Prussia anywhere, not but this angle at least, “Wait a second my room might be messy-“

“It’s always messy. I don’t mind,” Spain, without any regard for Romano’s internal panic pushed the door open himself. Romano was ready for the situation to get really awkward. Ready to hear Spain ask _way_ too many questions about why his best friend was in Romano’s bedroom, ready to piece everything together to ruin every chance that he had at getting back together, “Hey, it really clean in here actually. Your bed is made too! You trying a new thing?” Romano looked around the room perplexed.

_Okay_. It was okay. No Prussia in sight. Maybe he just moved into the next room over when he heard them coming up the stairs. He didn’t know what was going through that potato brain. Suddenly, that _want_ came back to mind. Spain was here and Spain was all he wanted.

“Yeah, I’m trying a new thing… Trying to organize or whatever.” He said absentmindedly, he was looking over Spain again. _He was perfect_. Sure, he could be stupid sometimes but it was… Endearing, as much as he hated to admit that. Maybe he was just attracted to idiots. Hot idiots. That smile was special though, it was perfect. He was warm and loving, but new when exactly it was appropriate to be rough, that’s what he needed right now.

“You alright there, Romano? Still want to...?”

“ _Huh_?” Romano pulled himself out of his trance, “ _Uh_ , yeah. Yeah. Sorry,” Spain smiled before he pulled him close by the waist, “Just admiring the view.” He smirked.

* * *

_God_ , he wanted to die. Prussia almost wished he could’ve just disappeared along with his nation at this very moment. He was trapped, trapped to listen screaming inside at every sound of lips smacking, every coy remark, and every sound of moaning and groaning. It was utterly disgusting! The worst part was how much Romano seemed to be enjoying himself and Spain was being such a smooth bastard about it too. No wonder Romano was so disappointed in him, _he was a step down_ compared to Spain. He hated to admit he had no idea about what to do when it came to this stuff, it just wasn’t his _thing_.

The son of a bitch was speaking Spanish now. He doubted that speaking German was anything that Romano would appreciate, he’d probably slap him across the face if he made some kind of attempt to make that sound sexy. Maybe he could do some freaky BDSM stuff with the language like in the videos but it was by no means a romantic language – Nothing you’d make sweet, sweet love to.

A squeak in the bed and a noticeable shift from the mattress could be heard and seen respectively from his view under the bed. He could try to go to sleep maybe but he didn’t want those sounds to haunt his dreams. He was strong! He’d gone into epic battles and had tales of glory to his name but he was trying to pussy out of some _sounds_?

A drawn-out moan made Prussia take that all back, he closed his eyes and tried to forget where he was, tried to think of puppies or something to pass the time. Puppies were _wholesome_ , they did no wrong. _This_ was just so _wrong_ ; he actually began to consider his virginity a blessing. It sounded like Italy and West but somehow worse. How could _that_ compared to this seem better? Maybe because all those other times he hadn’t been trapped underneath the bed they were fucking on.

Either way, it didn’t seem worth it, it was too painful to bear, especially when he saw clothes thrown about the floor. He had to grit his teeth and just wait until he didn’t have to see such unsightly habits.

* * *

His touch was sending tingles down places he hadn’t felt tingles in a long time. Not like this. _This_ was somebody who knew what they were doing. It was something that only they could share, it was guaranteed satisfaction, completely comfortable.

Romano sighed pleasantly, “I didn’t know if you’d come back this time.” His fingers were teasing him. Narrowing in on lower, lower, _lower_.

“You missed me?” Spain paused forcing a groan from Romano as his face flushed red.

“You know I wouldn’t tell _you_ that,” Spain snickered. “What the hell is it?”

“You look like a little tomato,” An irritated look came across Romano’s face at the unnecessary comment. Sure, he got red sometimes but it wasn’t on purpose. Spain pinched his left ear, “Ah, your ears as well.” Romano slapped him on the ass in protest.

“You shut the hell up about my complexion!” His shouts didn’t go over well with Spain – He was the _boss_ after all and Romano couldn’t exactly forget that.

“ _Ay_ , I can make you feel good or I can make you beg for it.” Romano scoffed.

“You’ve always been a shit talker.” Ah yes, he knew exactly what he was doing. That was half the fun of it. Their smiles told them all they needed to know.

* * *

Prussia didn’t know what those kinds of sounds meant but they couldn’t be good right? It sounded kind of… Rough. He almost thought something terrible was happening! Slapping, a whole lot of slapping and more goddamn _Spanish_ , he wanted to know what he was saying.

“ _España_ -“ A choked gasp could be heard. _Huh_ , he sounded really different, softer. His voice was already like honey, rich but this just sounded so _smooth_. He heard a shriek as another slap could be heard, “ _Fuck_!”

“Ah, what have I said about curses, _Romanito_?” Prussia suppressed his childish giggles by putting a hand over his mouth. Pet names were not something he expected Romano of all people to be okay with. “What do you say to _the empire on which the sun never sets_?”

Prussia was at least a little comforted by the fact Spain wasn’t the only one who had fantasies about once being a powerful empire – But this was just embarrassing. Is that what he could’ve sounded like? He was wondering if his strategy of acting like he was still a world powerful empire was sexy or just as cringeworthy as this was.

“ _More_.” He heard Romano respond. Okay, maybe Romano was just into nations that had power fantasies over their past victories. Maybe it was just the way he’d said it but it was making Prussia blush, he could imagine what he looked like now and it was doing things to him he’d rather not think about while he was still in the danger zone. But maybe that was just making everything worse for him in the nether regions.

He’d been able to get rid of those easy when he was celibate for the man upstairs, no touching needed! All he had to do was put his mind to thinking of the least sexy things like Austria – _Blegh_. The thought made him want to throw up with his sissy aristocratic man-baby face. There, that was the spirit, all desire for whatever was happening just beyond the mattress was gone now.

“I’m going to make a mess of you.” Spain promised.

“Then prove it.” Romano challenged.

_This was going to be harder than he thought_. But like all things, the great Prussia would conquer it.

* * *

As soon as he felt those deft fingers inside, he knew it was going to get good real fast. This was the best part for him, the part where there was no more holding back – All the repressed _anger_ just coming out in lust. He could feel every breath he took against the side of his face, hot and heavy. Lubed fingers playing, _teasing_ his exposed rear. It was something he’d once felt guilty for not one hundred years ago but now only felt pleasurable.

“ _More_ ,” Romano ordered. The control being seized just to say that one phrase. Spain didn’t mind a little bossing around himself – Even the great Spanish empire could be dominated every once and a while, “Put it in?”

“Put what in?” Spain muttered. It made Romano flush but he didn’t stop.

“Put your dick in now before I cut the damn thing off!” He shouted. It only made Spain chuckle.

“Always the same _fire_ ,” Romano felt the fingers slip out before hands move to his hips, prompting him to turn over. A tinge of excitement pooled in his belly at the thought of starting in his favorite position. The kind that was just raw passion where he’d feel the pull on his hand, a hand pressing down on the back of his neck. _Absolute filth_. A hand rubbed his lower back, “But I’ll indulge you.” He teased.

Romano gasped, feeling the pressure against him, pushing inside with a fullness he hadn’t felt in too long. Too, too long. Spain didn’t wait, he didn’t need to and Romano didn’t want him to.

* * *

The smacking had gone from obvious slaps of a hand against skin to the slapping of skin against skin. This was it; it was happening and there was nothing Prussia could do to drown out the sounds of the moans, groans, and grunts. It was utterly shameful and it almost made him turn back to the lord’s light just to escape it. He hadn’t done that in, what? One hundred and fifty years now? This sin was so terrible, so horrible, so embarrassing that it had made him a man of God again. He didn’t know how that was even possible! What was that one thing that one guy said? God is dead and we killed him? Well, Spain and Romano had killed him with such _filth_.

Well, it could be worse. He could be listening to whips and metal. Handcuffs against the bedpost and such – Sometimes when he walked by his brother’s room that’s what he heard, who knew little Italy could have such a dirty mouth and dominant demeanor? Maybe it was the remnants of his successful military campaigns in the Middle East and North Africa. At least this was… Passion, not so much hardcore fetish kinky hardy German porn like he could hear behind thin floorboards in his basement bedroom. This was a little different but still familiar enough that he could get through it. Right? _Right_? Prussia swallowed. Right…?

Those sounds, Romano was holding back. Obviously pressing his face into the mattress to stop himself from being too loud. At least he did that, Italy didn’t even do that, he could swear he just let whatever sounds he wanted out into the open for the neighbors to hear. Prussia found this side of Romano… Cute. Just extremely cute. He was imagining it now. Maybe he shouldn’t but he couldn’t help it. So much for a man of God.

“España- _Españaaah_ -“ Oh, right. He almost forgot about Spain. It left a bitter feeling in his chest. It wasn’t often he’d felt jealous of Spain of all the countries of the world. But the one thing he had that Prussia didn’t was Romano and he was only now realizing just how much he was missing out on. If there was one thing Prussia hated, it was missing out. “ _Oh fu-aahck_.”

He closed his eyes, trying to forget where he was. Thinking of what he’d do when he got out of this hell. Maybe go home and play video games, watch a movie, maybe try to blow off steam with a nice long workout. Or all of the above, in that order. He thought about how dusty it was down here and how he wished he had more time to get under the bed to make his short stay a little more comfortable. Seriously, it was like Romano never cleaned under here, there was some junk scattered around too. That was one thing he didn’t mind missing out on. But man, it was really, really _dusty_ above all.

Oh no.

* * *

Romano was on cloud nine, ready to explode, ready to _fly_. It was everything he’d missed and more. He loved Spain, he loved what he did to him. Hitting that sweet spot which was giving him such a hot feeling in the bottom of his abdomen – The kind that told him he was nearly ready to reach that high.

He was just about there, so close to-

“AcK- _CHOO!_ ”

Wherever the fuck that came from, it wasn’t from either of them. It was from _under_ the bed. Spain laughed, slowing down.

“Your sneeze is so loud, Romanito!” Romano blushed. Not because it was _him_ , but because Prussia was less than three feet under him. There was no other option that _Prussia had heard everything_. The thought made him want to scream.

“K-Keep going, I’m close.” No, he wasn’t, not anymore. He had to find some way to pretend, pretend he was ready. Spain went back to the brutal pace he’d been going in before but even with all the stimulation, he couldn’t get his mind away from Prussia. The fact he’d heard him – That he was hearing them now.

He felt that feeling pooling in his abdomen again. Hitting that spot but trying to convince himself that he couldn’t go through with this. _Ugh_ , Prussia had ruined everything – He’d _heard_ all his embarrassing sounds and was still listening.

So why didn’t that high stop?

In fact, he found himself getting back into the rhythm again, not sure what he was doing. Accepting defeat? Or maybe putting on a show? His face was hot at the idea, his breathing heavy. If he was going to put on a show, he was going to make it a good one just to prove what he could do.

“ _Ah-_ You’re making me-“ Spain couldn’t finish his sentence before he groaned. “I’m going to finish inside.” Romano hummed. He wasn’t even listening to him anymore. He was stuck in his own world. Thinking of what was happening below him. Was he enjoying this? Romano certainly was, but he’d never tell him that – He was going to kill the bastard after this. He was going to-

A cry came out his throat as he finished all over the sheets. That dirty feeling of Spain leaving his body, all that _liquid_. It made him shudder. He pushed himself up by his hands, realizing what he’d been thinking right before… Before it was over.

“ _Ay_ , I missed this,” Spain sighed, huffing and puffing. “I think we should get cleaned up, yes?”

Romano flipped around, leaning against the headboard, “I-Uh, yeah. Give me a second. I’ll be right behind you.” His chest was rising at a fast rate. Less so because of the exercise but more so because of the slight panic he was in at the idea he had thought of _Prussia_ – Pleasing _Prussia_. It just made everything so much worse.

“Alright, but don’t keep me waiting!” Spain grinned. He grabbed his clothes but left stark naked. Nothing they hadn’t seen before of course but the little hum of a tune and skip in his step was what truly made him _Spain_.

Romano waited for the humming and footsteps to become fainter before he leaned right over the side of the bed, meeting face to face with Prussia. He was almost disappointed to see that his subconscious fantasy that Prussia had been pleasuring himself alongside him wasn’t reality – His hands were stiffly placed either side of his body and his pants were completely untouched. There wasn’t even that distinct bulge that could indicate he’d even been hard at all! The audacity!

“You’re fucking dead meat.” Romano growled.

“How do you think _I_ feel.” Prussia said weakly, his mouth was obviously dry, his face paler than usual.

“Just wait there, I’m going to get Spain the fuck out of here.”

“ _Was_? Why? I’ll just-“

“ _No_ , we’re going to have a little _chat_ ,” Romano said darkly. “Fucking man up – I guarantee you I feel ten times worse!”

“I guarantee you that you don’t know what I’ve been through. This is worse than any war I’ve lost.” _Damn_ , that was pretty bad. Especially coming from such an arrogant prick. Romano sighed.

“Whatever just wait there. I’m going to break the bad news to him.”

“What?” Romano bit his lip at Prussia’s confusion. He could be so naïve sometimes. How old was he by now?

“You better thank me later.” Was all Romano could say before he brought his head back up. He ran a hand through his hair, sighed, and planted his feet to the ground. _He hoped this was the right thing to do_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are multiple post notifications I am sorry this chapter is giving me a hard time haha


	5. It Ended When You Said Goodbye

It was an unpleasant feeling, showering beside someone who he was going to kick out. It wasn’t like he should feel so terrible about since Spain was the one to show up unannounced but it just felt so wrong. Usually, this was the time when Romano would be happy and Spain could be happier than usual. It was perfect. Yet this time Romano would ruin it.

“Are you okay there? You look like you’re going to burst thinking so hard.” Spain laughed. But when Romano didn’t budge, he stopped. The guilt was eating him up seeing the way his face dropped. To avoid it, he stepped out of the shower and went to put his clothes back on. The sound of the water stopping sent a spark up his spine to hurry him up and run away from his problems.

“It’s nothing – Just go home,” He took his towel before Spain grabbed the end of it. “Let go.” He ordered. Spain shrugged.

“ _That_ one is yours, I put it there for you,” He knew it was a ploy to get him to look at him but Romano wasn’t going to. “What’s wrong? I thought you were happy?” The confusion, the hurt – Prussia was just being nice making them look like he wasn’t the sole reason none of this ever worked.

He picked up the other towel to dry himself. Ignoring the elephant in the room and therefore remaining in his ignorant bliss. It wasn’t working very much though since now he was just trying to get himself _out_ by throwing his clothes on. Soon becoming a race for the first one to be dressed and ready for the next terrible awful stage of an explosive relationship Romano wished had never happened sometimes. That thought of erasing so much history-making him just _know_ he was the worse party between the two.

“It’s okay! Maybe I just caught you at a bad time-“ Spain struggled to do his button on his pants, pausing to wrestle with his attire. “I came here at a bad time and you don’t need me pushing you to explain it.” Now it just sounded like he was trying to convince himself of some kind of fault. _Ugh_ , it just kept getting worse.

“No – I mean, _yes_ , it’s a bad time but not the way you- _Fuck_ -“ His zipper was playing up, getting snagged on itself. Finally, after some gerrymandering, it zipped. “You think.” The look on Spain’s face told him he was really thinking hard over every possible option. There was no way he could possibly guess what it could be. But that didn’t stop Romano from-

“Did you… I don’t know, find someone else?” It looked like he was waiting for some kind of loud and angry response. For Romano to fly off the rails at such an accusation – Such a _terrible_ accusation. It wasn’t cheating but it was definitely a grey area where attempting to screw Spain’s best friend while they were on a break was not too far from it.

“ _No_ , not really. It’s not like that.” _I think_ , he wanted to add. “It wasn’t serious anyway.” The buttons on his shirt were much more interesting now that he was avoiding Spain’s gaze. They were practically boring two deep holes in his body the way he was just staring at him.

“Not serious?” Romano couldn’t find a response. He’d gone and confused everything up for them. “Is that why you regifted me roses?” Spain suddenly said.

He felt the need to act defensive, despite the fact Spain had hit the nail on the head, “ _Regifted_? What kind of a word is that for my considera-“

“You don’t need to pretend. You should keep them – They obviously weren’t meant for me,” He chuckled. “I don’t think you’ve ever given me such a thing the entire time we’ve known each other. I was surprised but… I didn’t want to question you.” Why did he sound so sad? Why did he make him so sad? Romano was wanting to crumble away into dust just standing next to such a sorry sight.

“It’s whatever, they’re just flowers,” Romano attempted to salvage the situation. He knew he had the intention to end things but now he was finding himself wanting to _fix_ this burning building of a relationship. “I shouldn’t have regifted but they’re _just_ flowers.” Spain smiled; they had both finished dressing themselves.

“And they got you drinking beer too? That’s impressive.” He seemed to be ignoring everything terrible about what Romano had done and was already making jokes. It was terrifying.

“It’s not a _good_ thing – See? Look at how unhappy I have to be to end up drinking that piss drink. That’s what it’s been like,” Surprisingly, Spain shook his head, walking past him. He was angry. He must’ve been angry. “I screwed up, I get it, but I’ll do better-“ Spain swung around.

“It’s _fine_ , Romano. I’m a little sad but… I think Veneziano just misjudged your silence as unhappiness. And I think you’re going to be fine, especially with Prussia.” His eyes went wide.

“I haven’t- Prussia? Really? _Really_?” He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Now _that_ is rich! Rich!” Disbelieving of his terrible performance, Spain suppressed a laugh.

“No, no, now I definitely know I’m right,” He held up a hand. “Nobody would be cliché enough to get _you_ roses, Weihenstephaner is an old favourite, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen _you_ make a bed in your entire life. I think the only other people who know Prussia like the back of his hand is France and Prussia himself.” _Goddamn this Sherlock Holmes wannabe_ , he was good.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever! It’s not like I’ve slept with him or anything,” That was perhaps the most suspicious way to put that sentence. “ _Shit_ , I meant that – I haven’t, really.”

“It’s not my business anymore,” Spain sighed, it probably wasn’t a pleasant idea for him to think about but he also was true to his word. Instead of continuing down that path as Romano thought he would, he asked, “Aren’t you tired?” 

“Tired?” Romano frowned. “No, I’ve been getting my rest, thanks for the consideration.” He said sarcastically.

“No, I meant-“ Before he could get into a redundant explanation, Romano interrupted him.

“I know what you meant, you big idiot.” He uncrossed his arms. “But I’m also offended you’re tired of me.”

“No!” Spain was quick to burst out with, it even made Romano jump a little. “That’s not it at all...” He pouted. “But it’s tiring to be wondering what will happen next only for it to be the same again. Even the best of it doesn’t make that feel any better.”

“ _Tch_ , that’s a nicer way to say you’re tired of me.” He doubled down.

“It’s not nice at all, to be unsure.” That was _exactly_ how it felt. All the time. But it was stranger to hear the same being said by Spain aloud. It was like they were on the same page. They simply _couldn’t_ be on the same page because then that meant all these awful feelings in Romano’s deep dark soul were being felt by Spain too. And that only meant one outcome from this. The one that Romano wanted to avoid entirely and couldn’t do himself.

“Then break up with me,” He ordered. “Do it, bastard.”

“That’s not how- I don’t want it to be like that.” Romano shrugged.

“Then how else do you want it? Sounds like a breakup to me. You conquered entire countries and yet you can’t just say it?” He desperately wanted to try and stir some sense of ego in Spain but that was quite the task to do when he seemed so sure to be civil.

“How about I just leave here and it’s settled?” Spain suggested. “Even if we want to do this again, we can push through it and move on?” _Ugh_ , this stinging in his eyes was making him well up – It simply couldn’t be the idea of Spain leaving him for good this time. “I don’t like making you cry when we fight.”

“Well too bad, I’m fucking doing it anyway,” Why he was born to be such an ugly crier like his idiot brother was a curse to spite him. He sniffed. “I don’t want it to be settled – Living in limbo isn’t the worst thing in the world,” _Damn_ , even he was disappointed by his complete denial. It sucked, it always sucked. He was never happy with limbo. “And don’t you know how bad it is to just leave after all of _that_?”

“I know, I know, it’s not a good look – But I don’t want this to go on if you’d do better without me making it messy.”

“Messy? It’s messier if you leave! You’d have to look at Prussia at every meeting and thinking that my standards are so low that I’d pick that idiot over someone who is _obviously_ the better option because look at how goddamn _nice_ you’re being about me being such a cocksucker for trying to screw your friend – _Literally_! I am literally a cocksucker, Spain - And it’s not yours! An immoral lying cocksuc-”

“Okay, you can take a breath,” Spain snorted, despite how teary-eyed he looked. “You’re starting to sound more like Veneziano when you go on like that.”

“Don’t mention that dumbass while I’m having a moment,” A crisis was probably a better word. “I’ve never known anything else! How the hell am I supposed to just get over it?”

“You will. You know how quickly time passes – It won’t feel so bad when enough time has passed and I’ll get used to it. Eventually.” The optimism in his voice was being overpowered by the general sadness in the air.

“ _Eventually_. Sounds like a long time, even for us.” Spain shrugged.

“Prussia has a way of making you forget how terrible things are. You won’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Doesn’t mean I won’t…” Romano frowned, rubbing his face. “But I’ll try,” He shook his head with a bitter laugh. “It looks weird to see you cry, stop it.”

“I can’t help it! I’m sad. _Me siento derrotado porque todo parece salir mal_ – You’d understand what it’s like.” Romano scoffed.

“No, it’s worse for you,” He decided. This seemed to confuse Spain. “The great _empire where the sun never sets_ has been defeated by a loser who lives in his brother’s basement – You know he sews the day of the week in his underwear?” Spain snorted. No doubt he would tell France all about that, Prussia wouldn’t be able to escape the torment for months, maybe even years the way those three carried on.

“You say that like he isn’t your problem now…” Despite how depressing that prospect was, moving on to the next _bullshit_ he wished none of them had to feel. Spain pulled him close, it felt nice. He was so warm. “If you’re happy, I will be too.”

“You’re such an idiot – I don’t think I’m supposed to be happy.”

“Now _that_ is stupid, everyone deserves to be happy!”

“Even the Brit?” It was silent for a long time.

“ _Eh_ , maybe.” He smiled at how bitter he sounded still. Like Spain could ever talk about letting go with a past like that. Even he had to admit it was petty after such a long time, who gives a damn about Elizabethan era armadas in the modern world? Apparently those two.

Romano sighed, burying his face in his shoulder, “I’m probably going to miss you.”

“ _Probably_. I’ll take it,” Spain chuckled before it fell silent again. He pulled back to get a look at his face. They both looked like they had conquered the end of the world sufficiently at the very least. “…Goodbye, Romano.”

He couldn’t look at his face for too long, otherwise, he’d probably end up regretting his decision. “Goodbye…” No, that was wrong. He _should_ look at his face. It was the least he could do. “And thank you.”

* * *

He couldn’t say that closing the door felt good but it didn’t feel bad either. It was strange. So… _Relaxing_. He hadn’t even realized how on edge he was this entire time – _Everything_ at the end of this dark and dingy tunnel was Spain and now there was just nothing. He couldn’t tell what the hell he would do because this had never happened before.

With a groan, he remembered that idiot might still be under the bed.

Of course, he couldn’t just leave him there so he called for him, “ _Prussia_! Get your ass down here!” He waited for a while, listening to the sounds of stumbling and footsteps progressively getting louder. Quickly he made sure to wipe his face one more time just to be sure the idiot wouldn’t see the tears that had fallen just moments before. Seeing him emerge – or _slide_ – to the edge of the staircase was anxiety-inducing as he was just a hair away from falling down the entire thing and snapping that undead neck of his. As soon as he could see his face, Prussia opened his big mouth.

“Thank the heavens! The lover is gone at last!” He sighed dramatically; arms outstretched. “I’m traumatized for life though.” He slumped walking down the stairs with a little less vivaciousness at the thought.

“Yeah?” Romano shook his head. Like any of this wasn’t traumatic for him either but Prussia wasn’t exactly the definition of considerate. “Well, he’s not coming back. At least not like that again – A friend maybe…” He heard the sound of footsteps cease. Curious, he saw the way Prussia seemed to turn ghost white. Not that he wasn’t already pale as is – Quite amazing how much worse his tone could get in that regard when in such extreme shock.

“Wait – No, you guys didn’t…?” He seemed to be connecting the dots in his head. “Look, you don’t need to do that just because I was under your bed while you were doing the most shameful thing known to history.” Romano scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Whatever, it was obviously coming eventually…” His mouth twitched into a frown. “Not everything is about you.”

“You’re _not_ kidding?” Prussia sounded scandalized – _offended_. “But-“

“ _You_ told me that it was a shitty basis! Don’t act like you didn’t know that – _Besides_ , it’s fine. I don’t care.” Okay, he cared _a little_ but it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Like ripping off a band-aid

“You didn’t tell him about me coming here did you? Because I know you’re just a little baby man and wouldn’t remember just how Spain could really let loose and not in the fun way!” The genuine fear in his voice was almost pitiful if Romano hadn’t heard the stories himself. He could vaguely remember some of the times Spain had to be _assertive_ which thinking further may be a word too kind to describe what he witnessed on occasion. Now though? There was no chance Spain was capable of that.

“Don’t worry – He figured it out himself,” He saw the expression on Prussia’s face display his stress. “It’s fine. He’s fine with whatever I want to do since it’s not like it’s his business anyway…”

“How do you know he didn’t just put on a face for _you_? He wouldn’t hurt you in a million years! But I might as well be fed to the lions!”

“Stop pissing yourself, it’s going to be _fine_ ,” Romano rubbed his bicep for some comfort. “I think that’s what I’m supposed to say anyway.” He looked to the messy living room. Probably not a happy sight to see so much alcohol-based paraphernalia but it was a pretty solid representation of how his life was going right now. Everything was just a _mess_ and there was nobody else to blame but himself. Like he was on autopilot he went to take a seat amongst the mess, wanting to rest his eyes and sleep to escape such a bizarre feeling. He could hear the pitter-patter of Prussia coming down the rest of the way towards him.

“You’re serious?” He heard his voice behind him.

“Of course I am, how many times do I have to say it for it to get through your thick skull?” He sighed, rubbing his face. “I feel like an old man.” Prussia scoffed.

“If _you’re_ old then I’m ancient.”

“Finally admitting it then?” Without care for his poor couch, he swung over the back of it land beside him. “Don’t do that, Veneziano will kill you.”

“Like he could kill me,” He cackled. “I’d bet you could though.”

“I don’t know, he can be pretty tough if he wants to be,” He wasn’t sure why _now_ of all the time was the time for it to hit him like a bus. The prickly feeling in his tear ducts. “I’m so goddamn w-w _eeeak_ ,” He began to sob, an uncontrollable amount of sobbing. Ugly, _ugly_ crying. The kind that got him gasping for breaths between the crying and the disgusting sounds of snot and saliva excessively accumulating. He felt an awkwardly placed hand give him a rub on the shoulder before he instinctively swatted it away. “ _Don’t touch me_.” He intended to say. He wasn’t sure if it registered into any real human sound though enough for Prussia to understand him.

“Well,” He started to pad some of the upcoming stupid that was inevitably going to come out of his mouth. Something like _when I get sad I just drink shitty beer and listen to shitty German music and think of all my awesome battles I won because I’m so awesome_ – Something like that. “I don’t know what it’s like but it doesn’t seem so fun,” _What_. “But I know you’re not weak so you’ll get through it.” It certainly didn’t feel like it. Not at all. This was the end of _his_ world as he had known it for so long. It was the only thing he could rely on in such a changing world that could be one thing in one decade and another in the next. At least through all that he had Spain beside him.

He rubbed his eyes, “I hate this.” It didn’t sound right the way it was executed. Not with the way his voice choked up.

“You need anything?” He nodded, albeit reluctantly. “What is it?” There wasn’t any possible way he could verbalize it. Any way of articulating what he needed right now would only end up haunting him forever so instead, he just did it. Resting a head on the shoulder of someone he should really hate but couldn’t help but feel the opposite.

“Don’t speak.” Romano ordered, sniffling like a child. Or well, as he _used_ to when he was a child.

“Okay- I mean…” The idiot couldn’t help it so he let it slip by this once. He was stiff though. Too stiff to be anything comfortable to lay on. With a sigh, he lifted his head much to Prussia’s confusion. “Wha-“

“Shut up.” He croaked as he took his hand and urged him to do _something_ with it rather than just keep it to his side like a statue. An arm around him and Romano could finally begin to feel some kind of peace – Something comfortable.

* * *

His voice was still hoarse from the tears but it wasn’t anything a piping hot plate of pasta couldn’t fix. This is something his brother would scold him for – Playing with his food, twisting the fettuccine around on his fork. It tasted a little shit, mostly because it had been reheated from the last time his brother cooked, the night before he left for Germany’s house. It was the only thing he felt like eating for dinner though, the only thing that didn’t require more energy than he cared to use and god forbid Prussia cook for him. He’d probably rather eat dirt than whatever concoction that fool came up with.

“You look depressed.” _No shit_.

“Not like someone I loved for a couple handful of lifetimes left me,” _Left_ wasn’t a great way of describing it. It was mutual. Supposedly. The immediate regret of his decision _with_ him was hitting him harder than he cared for. “I think he thought I would be okay with you,” He looked up to meet Prussia’s eye-line only to grimace. “Don’t know who would pick you of all people for comfort.” Probably a fool.

“Gee, thanks…” The genuine hurt in his voice didn’t make it feel any better.

“I’m sorry,” He sighed. “You were supposed to just have sex with me and now you’ve seen me cry. Lucky you, plenty to tease me for later.” Prussia shrugged.

“I saw you cry, last night.” Romano frowned.

“You what?”

“You cried. Over him. To be fair you _were_ drinking but that probably made it a little grosser looking-“

“Okay, I’ve heard enough,” He groaned. “You should’ve just found someone else to do this for you. Not someone in a mid-life crisis.” Prussia snorted.

“ _Mid-life_? Your life has barely started… Besides,” He seemed embarrassed. “I don’t think I could do it with anybody else.”

“My brother. I bet you’d take that offer if he wanted to,” He mumbled. “He told me how you asked him out.”

“Wha- But he ignored-“

“He did it on purpose,” Romano shrugged. He recalled saying something along the lines of mocking his brother’s stupidity when it came to such delicate situations. “Just didn’t want to make it awkward for you.” He saw Prussia pouting.

“Man, I felt so unawesome for weeks after that.”

“Well, that’s how I feel, right now. _Unawesome_ ,” Grimacing at the word he set down his fork. The hunger beginning to dissipate. “But not as bad as it could’ve been.”

“If it helps, I don’t think I could be with Italy. My brother beat me to it – But I do have to say that it’s fun when I’m around you too. In a different way, I guess.” It was clear that anything vaguely Germanic had troubles articulating anything to do with feelings. Romano wasn’t particularly good at that either but _Christ_ were they a different breed of bad.

“Sure.”

“I mean it,” He said earnestly. “Between hanging out with you or Italy, I’d probably pick you.”

He sighed, “You want to know how you can make me believe that shit?” Prussia nodded. “Start by calling him _Veneziano_ , asshole.”

“Why?” _The complete idiot_.

“I’m Italy too, not some irrelevant bastard like you,” He sneered. “ _Veneziano_ is his name. Fuck, even _Vene_ is better than having Italy slapped in my face every time I have to hear you talk about him. You ever notice how you’re the only asshole who calls him _Italy_? Hell! Even America had enough sense to call him _Vene_ after a while. You’re literally the _only_ one who is so goddamn inconsiderate of me to be a blatant dickhead.” He ceased his ranting when he picked his fork back up again to stuff his face with food. If he didn’t, he’d probably end up crying or screaming. Either or.

“Okay… Okay,” Prussia said guiltily. “Romano and _Veneziano_ ,” He hummed but refused to look at the idiot again. “I guess it’s like I’m starting all over again though.”

“What?” He uttered.

“Starting on a better foot, I guess. More respect… I don’t know, stop looking at me like that.” He groaned, rolling his eyes and standing up.

“I’ve had a good couple days with you,” He relented for a fleeting moment. “Now come and help me change the cum stained sheets”

* * *

“I can’t believe it’s over.” He sighed. At least the house had been cleaned – Not that he had much to do with that. Prussia was just a freak when it came to that stuff but it was, at the very least, considerate.

“You know, usually denial comes _before_ the other stages,” He flung his arm out to the other side of the bed to hit him in the torso. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“I know…” _Didn’t make it hurt any less_. “No wonder people rebound. This is shit, I’ll take anything I can get.”

“ _Hey_.”

“Oh, yeah. Right,” He sighed. It wasn’t right to be so snappy. Not while Prussia seemed to be having just as bad of a time too. He rolled on his side to face Prussia. “You haven’t been completely terrible.”

“That’s the best compliment you’ve got? Mind you, I’ve been scarred for life _and_ you’re unhappy around me now. It’s like I can’t win today.”

“You got to sit on the couch with me. Usually, you’d be beaming over that.”

“Not if you’re crying. That knocks the wind out of my sails,” They seemed to lie there without speaking for a long while. Enough for Romano to reconsider his approach. Enough for him to think of Spain’s words. _He’s his problem now_ , they’re each other’s problems really. The first step was probably to stop thinking about Spain while he was right next to him. That would be a start at the very least. He shuffled over closer, closing the gap between them until it was virtually impossible for Prussia to escape his sight. “What is it?”

“Do it again, but here. I won’t be a pussy this time, I swear it,” Not a tear in sight. “Come on. Now or never.” He was hoping Prussia would just take some control of this crashing and burning car. At least then if anything else went wrong it would be his fault instead. He wasn’t used to having to _tell_ someone what to do with him – It just happened. Prussia seemed to think he was made of china or something, either that or he thought of him as too volatile to risk touching. Any way he looked at it wasn’t particularly appealing but it was… Nice. _Ugh_ , _cute_ even. Maybe. In another dimension he might have had that thought but not in this one. No, definitely not this one.

“Are you-“

“I’m sure. Just… Grow a pair, would you? Whatever you’re thinking of doing, you should just do it.”

“I don’t think that’s a great way to think about life, I’m sure I’d be in prison if I thought like that.” _Touché_. There were plenty of times it would be easier to steal something or stab someone to solve his problems but that wasn’t the way the world worked. Unfortunately.

“And I’m about to go to prison for murder if you don’t just use your arm for something more productive.” Prussia scoffed.

“Okay, sir,” He followed, awkwardly but still trying nonetheless. It was only awkward because he overconfidently swung his arm around in a way that made Romano’s neck crane in an uncomfortable position but he adjusted. That would be one of the things he just had to do for such a useless romantic. “You aren’t going to rub snot on me or anything, are you?”

“No…” He sighed. “You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, in the afternoon.”

“What time?”

“ _Uh_ , I should probably leave here at twelve if I want to make the flight.” He thought for a while. Veneziano would ask too many damn questions when he came back. He’d probably want to give him useless advice like he could understand – Even if they were disgusting, at least Veneziano and Germany didn’t need to worry about the same problems he had with Spain so it would all just be _empty_. Prussia had enough sense to realise how stupid he was, at least when it came to this.

“Right…” He’d keep that in mind. “Goodnight.”

“ _Träum süss_.” He wanted to tell him not to use that ugly language around him, but he simply didn’t have the energy to fight him on that. It wasn’t worth ruining the peace over something so petty. Especially when he was so warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao I didn't want some toxic ass breakup so I made the blows hit a little softer. Some smut will come next chapter but more or less lead up to more smut (foreplay to the foreplay perhaps?). Thanks for waiting so patiently! Things have been hectic and these chapters are longer than I usually write nowadays (Also I kind of suck at writing anything to do with romantic relationships).


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